Abstract
The current study is a critical stylistic analysis (CSA) of toxic femininity in selected contemporary feminist books. This research aims to investigate the linguistic strategies and tools by which feminist texts interpolate the ideologies of toxic femininity. Moreover, it reveals the ideologies of toxic femininity in contemporary feminist books.
The study endeavors to answer the following questions: (a) What are the linguistic strategies contemporary feminists use to validate toxic femininity as woman-empowering in their books? (b) How do the linguistic realizations used in the text interpolate the ideologies of toxic femininity? (c) How are the ideologies of toxic femininity represented in contemporary feminist books?
The researcher has used Lesly Jeffries’ (2010) Textual-Conceptual model for Critical Stylistics. Additionally, a qualitative approach is used in data analysis followed by a mathematical examination to explain the relevance of the data acquired. The quantitative statistical analysis is meant to supplement the outcomes of the qualitative investigation.
Based on the findings, the study concludes that specific linguistic strategies are used by the writers to deceive women with an empowering reality for toxic feminism. The tools of implying and assuming have the highest rate of occurrence. Presupposition is the most commonly used strategy in this tool, but conventional implicature has also appeared frequently throughout the six selected extracts. Furthermore, the number of linguistic realizations has led the researcher to identify some negative and toxic ideologies that these feminist writers imbed in their books. The highest number of instances goes to the tool of implying and assuming, delivering a message that substantially lacks factual evidence. While the findings have illustrated how the instances where presupposition occurred have negative attributions that are associated with males, it becomes clear how harmful it is to make such assumptions and aspire to institute women’s empowerment over a misandrist foundation. Lastly, the analysis of the data has uncovered the following toxic ideologies: misandry/hate speech, rage/anger, victimhood mentality, and extremism.
