FEMINIST

APPROACH
LITERARY CRITICISM
Gender
 WHAT IS
FEMINIST
APPROACH?
-Feminist or the gender relationships of characters in the
story.

-It advocates gender equality especially towards women.

-It also examines how some aspects of our culture are

inherently patriarchal or male dominated.
 FEMINIST CRITICISM
• Is the author male or female?
• Is the text narrated by a male or
female?
• What types of roles do women
have in the text?
• Are the female characters the
protagonist or secondary and
minor characters?
Criticizing the story “The Necklace”
using the feminist approach.
• Every woman should be able to do everything that
man does. Mathilde can do what Monsieur does but
in the story, the lady is restricted because she is that
typical dutiful housewife who only have the power to
control nothing but their house. We can say that the
story shows an example of a patriarchal society.
 Criticizing the story “The Necklace”
using the feminist approach.
• In The Necklace, Mathilde attitude that she is worth more than
other women in her social class simply because of her looks
demonstrates the idea that women are valued primarily for their
beauty over everything else. By understanding literature from a
feminist perspective, readers can begin to be aware of these
trends in everyday life as well.
HISTORICAL
APPROACH
LITERARY CRITICISM
What is historical approach?
-sees literature as both a reflection and a product of
the times and circumstances in which it is written.

-Literary criticism in the light of historical evidence

or based on the context in which a work was
written, including facts about the author’s life and
the historical and social circumstances of that time.
Why do we need to use historical
approach in criticism?
• History and literature come hand in hand because
together, they interpret human experiences and allow us
to know the things that shape our present time.
OBSERVE THE PICTURES
 HISTORICAL APPROACH
The works of Jose Rizal were published during the Spanish

colonization. This is an important factor that inspired him to write

novels. To enlighten the Filipino people on what is really

happening in the country. Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo

are the two famous works of Jose Rizal that explained how the

Spaniards treated our ancestors.

An Author's Life
We are all influenced by the world around us, and have unique,
individual experiences that affect our personalities. In the same
way, an author is influenced by their past when they write.
Gender, race, and socioeconomic status also have a huge impact
on their writing. Therefore, the more you know about the author,
the better you can understand the messages central to their body
of work. Let's look at several examples of when a writer's personal
life is entwined with their writing.
Emily Dickinson A prime example of the influence of one's
personal life on their writing is the
American poet, Emily Dickinson (1830-
1886). Dickinson grew up in a prosperous
family in Massachusetts. She lived a quiet
and reserved life; in fact, she was a
recluse, living in her father's house. She
did not have a close relationship with her
parents, who pushed a strong Christian
doctrine on their daughter. Dickinson,
however, withdrew from the world to live
in seclusion, never marrying and having
few friends.
Her life choices and ability to live within herself are reflected in
her poetry, through a strong sense of imagination. The life
experiences Emily lacked led her to delve deeply into her mind's
eye. She states that she lives in a world where anything is
possible in her imagination. Furthermore, since she lived a life
void of a family, husband, children, or friends, she had a deeper
appreciation for those things. In the following stanza from a
different poem, look at how she judges the worth of something by
its limits, similar to the limitation in her personal life:
I dwell in Possibility - Water, is taught by thirst.
A fairer House than Prose - Land - by the Oceans passed.
More numerous of Windows - Transport - by throe -
Superior - for Doors – Peace - by its battles told -
Love, by Memorial Mold -
Birds, by the Snow.
READER-RESPONSE
APPROACH
LITERARY CRITICISM
 WHAT IS READER-RESPONSE
APPROACH?
-Literature may be judged according to how the

reader

perceives it instead of what the author intends.

-The text itself has no meaning until it is read by a

reader. The reader creates the meaning.
 READER-RESPONSE APPROACH
• RESPONSES OR REACTIONS

• ALLOWS READERS TO INTERPRET THE TEXT.

• USE PERSONAL REFLECTION

AUTHOR TEXT READER
 The Thief Who Became a Disciple
One evening as Shichiri Kojun was reciting sutras (Buddhist
scriptures) a thief with a sharp sword entered, demanding
either his money or his life. Shichiri told him: ‘Do not disturb
me. You can find the money in that drawer.’ Then he
resumed his recitation. A little while afterwards he stopped
and called: ‘Don’t take it all. I need some to pay taxes with
tomorrow.’ The intruder gathered up most of the money and
started to leave. ‘Thank a person when you receive a gift,’
Shichiri added. The man thanked him and made off.
 The Thief Who Became a Disciple
• A few days afterwards the fellow was caught and
confessed, among others, the offence against Shichiri.
When Shichiri was called as a witness he said: ‘This man
is no thief, at least as far as I am concerned. I gave him the
money and he thanked me for it.’ After he had finished his
prison term, the men went to Shichiri and became his
disciple.
READER-RESPONSE CRITICISM
WHAT ARE THE EXPECTATIONS YOU CREATED BY
READING THE TEXT? FULFILLED? REDIRECTED?

HOW DOES YOUR EXPERIENCE HELP YOU ANALYZE

THE TEXT?

IF YOU WERE SHICHIRI, WOULD YOU DO THE SAME?

READER-RESPONSE CRITICISM

• HOW WOULD THE AUDIENCE REACT TO THE

TEXT?

• WHAT ARE THE EXPECTATIONS YOU CREATED

BY READING THE TEXT? FULFILLED?
REDIRECTED?
READER-RESPONSE CRITICISM
-Why do you think the
author wrote this story?

-What real-life people or

events are you reminded
of by the characters or
events in the story? Explain
Rearrange the scrambled letters to find the word that completes each
consideration for the corresponding literary approaches.

• Reader-response
• 1. SLFAW in the plot
• 2. The theme and USEPOPR of the text
• 3. Explain what you KILE or don’t like in the text
• 4. Explain why you agree or disagree with the writer’s
REPSPCEIVTE
Rearrange the scrambled letters to find the word that completes each
consideration for the corresponding literary approaches.

• Historical
• 1. ENHW the work was written
• 2. NETVES occurring at the time of writing
• 3. Ideas circulating at the MEIT of writing
• 4. Author's HBYOAIRGP and social background
• 5. What the work TEMAN to the people who first read it