Feminism and Gender Roles in Bridget Jones’s Diary

A cornerstone of contemporary women–centric fiction, Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary (1996) continues to charm readers by playfully exploring womanhood through an emotionally resonant character – a single cosmopolite woman juggling self-expectations and socially imposed standards. A prominent exponent of the much–discussed chick–lit genre, Fielding’s novel reveals its complexities by satirically addressing the feminist and gendered discourses. This paper investigates how feminist discourse is introduced and discussed in Bridget Jones’s Diary, how different female characters engage with it, and the critical interpretations that arise from their interactions with its agenda. After addressing the presence and impact of feminist discourse in Helen Fielding’s novel, the focus shifts to the depiction of gender roles, exploring how the novel negotiates or reinforces traditional gender(ed) expectations.