FEMINIST LITERARY CRITICISM

FEMINISM FEMINIST LITERARY

CRITICISM

 The theory of the political,  Literary criticism informed by

economic, and social equality of feminist theory, or more
the sexes broadly, by the politics of
 Organized activity on behalf of feminism
women’s rights and interests
 It uses feminist principles and
 Against gender stereotypes and
gender-based expectations ideology to critique the
language of literature
 Feminist Literary Criticism
 Feminist criticism is a form of literary criticism that's based on
feminist theories. Broadly, it's understood to be concerned with
the politics of feminism, and it uses feminist principles to critique
male-dominated literature.
 Feminist criticism's roots are in women's social, political,
economic and psychological oppression.
FEMINIST CRITICISM:
A Response to the Patriarchy
 Feminist Criticism:
A Response to the Patriarchy
THE PATRIARCHY PATRIARCHAL IDEOLOGY

 A system of society or government  In every domain where patriarchy

in which men hold power and reigns, woman is other: she is
women are largely excluded from it marginalized, defined only by her
 Men in a patriarchy hold power difference from male norms and
and predominate in roles of values.
political leadership, moral
authority, social privilege and
control of property.
Putting on the “Lens” of
Feminist Theory
 Putting on the “Lens” of
Feminist Theory
 Feminist literary criticism  Feminist literary criticism is
suggests that women in concerned with the ways in
literature were historically which literature (and other
presented as objects seen cultural productions) reinforce
from a male perspective. or undermine the economic,
political, social, and
psychological oppression of
women.
The significance of the feminist movement is that
it offers a new ideological meeting ground for the
sexes, a space for criticism, struggle, and
transformation.
-Bell Hooks
Feminist Literary Criticism involves asking
new questions of old texts
LISA TUTTLE
Lisa Gracia Tuttle is an
American-born science fiction,
fantasy, and horror author.
She has published more than
a dozen novels, seven short
story collections, and several
non-fiction titles, including a
reference book on feminism,
Encyclopedia of Feminism.
Tuttle sites the goals of feminist criticism as:
1. To develop and uncover a female tradition of writing
2. To interpret symbolism of women’s writing so that it will not be lost or
ignored by the male point of view
3. To rediscover old texts
4. To analyze women writers and their writings from a female perspective
5. To resist sexism in literature
6. To increase awareness of the sexual politics of language and style
The practice of feminist criticism
Some questions that feminist critics may ask include:

 How is the relationship between men and women portrayed?

 What are the power relationships between men and women?
 How are male and female roles defined?
 What constitutes masculinity and femininity?
Some questions that feminist critics may ask include:

 What does the work reveal about the operations (economic, political,
social, or psychological) of patriarchy?
 What does the work imply about the possibilities of sisterhood as a
mode of resisting patriarchy?
 What does the work say about women's creativity?
 What does the history of the work's reception by the public and by the
critics tell us about the operation of patriarchy?
Mushrooms by Sylvia Plath
 Overnight, very
Whitely, discreetly,
Very quietly

Our toes, our noses

Take hold on the loam,
Acquire the air.

In the first stanzas of the poem, the speaker begins by describing

slowly how the mushrooms make their way from within the soil out
into the air. She uses alliteration and assonance in order to create
a feeling of rhythm from line to line.
 Nobody sees us,
Stops us, betrays us;
The small grains make room.

Soft fists insist on

Heaving the needles,
The leafy bedding,

By this point it is quite clear that these mushrooms are meant to

represent someone or a group of people. It is a solid guess to
consider that the mushrooms represent women.
 Even the paving.
Our hammers, our rams,
Earless and eyeless,

Perfectly voiceless,
Widen the crannies,
Shoulder through holes. We

The strong imagery continues into the fifth stanza with reference
to “hammers” and “rams”. The language feels more revolutionary
as if the speaker is describing an uprising.
 Diet on water,
On crumbs of shadow,
Bland-mannered, asking

Little or nothing.
So many of us!
So many of us!

The speaker exclaims in the eighth stanza. The women are rising
for there is more than enough of them to push out of the ground
and take on voices of their own.
 We are shelves, we are
Tables, we are meek,
We are edible,

Nudgers and shovers

In spite of ourselves.
Our kind multiplies:

We shall by morning
Inherit the earth.
Our foot's in the door.

In the ninth stanza, the speaker uses several methods to

compare women/mushrooms to various things. She mentions
shelves and tables while also suggesting that they are “edible”
Conclusion
 Feminist literary criticism helps us look at literature in a different
light. It applies the philosophies and perspectives of feminism to
the literature we read
 By considering literature and the world around us from a feminist
perspective, feminist critics seek to make us more aware of our
societies' attitudes towards women, especially in cases where
current attitudes harm or otherwise marginalize women.
THANK YOU!