In what ways do cultural influences help shape depictions of gender in literature? Conversely, in what ways does literature help shape cultural concepts of gender?(Please cite specific examples for...

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Title: Cultural & Literary Concepts of Gender
Contents
Influence of Culture on Literature    3
Influence of Literature on Culture    3
Works Cited    5
Influence of Culture on Literature
Culture has a significant impact on the general rules in society. Our society has contemplated thousands of cultural aspects which are concerned with gender roles and these traditional aspects have inherently influenced the literary context. For centuries human civilization has tended to assign different roles and codes of behaviour to men and women. By these aspects, it was clear that the biological distinction of sex constructs and enforces the social distinction of gender. For instance, the English standards of femineity in the literature during the 18th and 19th century was mainly concentrated on only the upper and the middle-class women who were considered only in the domestic spheres of hearth and home. The gender approaches to the literature have often been encountered to counterbalance the male focus which was involved by concentrating more strongly on women's perspectives (Dilli & Westerhuis).
Women...