Jessica Crawford: Gender Identity in Michael Blumlein's "The Brains of Rats"
(Right after posting my student's essay I came across this fascinating NPR report: Alex Spigel: Two Families Grapple with Sons' Gender Preferences: Psychologists Take Radically Different Approaches in Therapy)
Jessica Crawford
Eng 230
http://fictionspeculative.blogspot.com/2008/05/jessica-crawford-gender-identity-in.htmlMichael Blumlein's The Brains of Rats revealed to me the complexities of gender definition. He explores biological, cultural, and historical differences in gender accompanied by his own opinions and experiences. The tone of this piece is clearly established in the opening paragraphs as he surprises the reader with information of Joan of Arc possibly having had testicular feminization genetically making her a man (1). This was unknown to me; it completely caught me off guard, and ultimately left me wanting to read more. If Blumlein was attempting to shake up the reader's perception of gender the goal was certainly achieved. All my life Joan of Arc has been paraded as an example of a fierce female to be
