Feminism and misogyny in Sally Rooney’s novels

Resumen

Irish author Sally Rooney has been named the first great millennial novelist. Her three novels so far, Conversations with Friends (2017), Normal People (2018) and Beautiful World Where Are You? (2021), which dwell around the intricacies of personal relationships among young men and women in contemporary Ireland, have received much acclaim. This article concentrates on Rooney’s most recent novel to examine the coexistence of feminist and sexist traits, and how they affect the performance of the female characters. Male behaviour and female reactions will be analysed to outline the paradoxical conducts of empowerment and subjection embedded within love relationships. The study suggests the coexistence of internalized misogyny and feminist discourses, a combination that causes negative effects upon the female characters. Finally, the article concludes that contemporary best-sellers such as Rooney epitomize and validate currents of popular feminism alongside with misogyny, and typify and perpetuate problematic role models for millennials.