Critical Theory

Feminist criticism is often defined as a literary analysis that arises from the viewpoint of feminism, feminist theory, and/or feminist politics (Napikoski). Feminist criticism can be divided into two parts. The first type of feminist criticism revolves around the idea of the woman being the reader of male-constructed literature. This type of feminist criticism consists of the female reader focusing on stereotypes and misconceptions about women. The second type of feminist criticism concentrates on the woman being the writer. This type of feminist criticism demonstrates history, themes, genres, and structures of literature by women. In the past, it was very common for literature that had been constructed by men to be taken into consideration more than literature composed by women. Both “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and “A White Heron” by Sarah Orne Jewett were written in the 1800’s and revolved around the point of view of females. Both of these authors use symbolism in order to represent and enhance the ideas of feminism in their stories.

The feminist movement lays claim to a history of both victorious struggle and violent controversy. As women fought for equality with men in the early twentieth century, literature was inspired by this movement. Modernist writers used their artform to provide social commentary in similar ways to realistic writers of the nineteenth century. However, modernist thought allows a much more obvious agenda to be presented through literature. Mina Loy, in “Feminist Manifesto,” and Susan Glaspell, in “Trifles,” both used their respective writings to convey personal opinions on the women’s movement and the relationship between men and women. Though this similarity places them in the same category of modernism, the two differ in their writings

Feminist theory, though contrary to what the statement may suggest, is not simply one theory but consists of branches of various critical approaches that target specific aspects of literature in terms of the representation of female writers (and other artists) and the feminine

Analyzing the ways in which a piece of literature includes feminist ideologies can bring out the potential messages that the creators of these productions were attempting to portray, while allowing the reader to critique the literature from a feminist perspective.

After reading chapter one, I’ve come to learn the difference between critical theory and critical race theory as well as related them to some challenges I seen while I worked within an adolescent treatment center.

Men have conquered over land and made settlements, “large-scale organizations in the form of the state and corporations, which in great majority cases are masculinized and controlled by men” (Connell: 90). Even till this day men are more dominate in military, politics, and education. The imperialism social order created a hierarchy of masculinities, distinguishing between “real men” and “lesser men.” Women in this time were not even consider they were insignificant. The hierarchy showed that lesser men held little in value compared to real men. This meant that the lesser men were close in relation to women, which in this time value range from less to non-existing. This contributes to multiracial feminism because it shows inequality for women but men to that did not possess the qualities of the real

Set in the Victorian era of the 1800’s Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert exemplifies society’s views on the established gender roles of this time. Flaubert utilizes Emma Bovary’s masculinity to accentuate Emma’s desire for control. Her desire for control extends from the social pressure of the period, revealing her envy towards men. Flaubert undoubtedly depicts Emma’s characteristics to have a masculine undertone and throughout the novel her femininity deviates as her priority shifts. Emma’s lack of femininity translates to her relationships by maneuvering an interchanging role of a girlfriend or boyfriend.

7); however, this author recognizes that in academic contexts, at least, there has been a consistent reduction in the ridiculing of feminists texts, but still there are discourses that still have maintaining powerful differences for the feminist reader for whom “everything, everywhere, is almost oppressively subtle, complex and contradictory” (p.44). The politics of women readers has been an uncomfortable issue for those who pretend to maintain power differences. Bollman (2008) could not be more precise to call it Women who read are dangerous. The idea that women's reading could possible subvert disciplinary structures (Long, 2003) is seen as one of the threatens for ideologies of symbolic domination (Bourdieu,

Feminist literary criticism is based on feminist principles and ideology to critique a literary work. It explores patriarchal influence on art, role and representation of women and sexual politics of literary language and style.

Feminist Criticism is described as literary criticism to presents different perspectives on how literature discusses issues of gender, focusing on education, financial and social difference in a male dominated society. Critics revolve around power relation between the two genders. They also review how females are represented in different texts and literature and how such representation is sufficient. In addition, feminist critics in politics present literature that seeks to raise consciousness about the important role of women and highlight how language is misused to marginalize women. Influential figures of this form of criticism are George Eliot and Margaret Fuller. They are two who mainly came up with the idea of Feminist Criticism and the basic principles followed by others today. Some famous authors who wrote through the lens of Feminist Criticism are Ellen Moers, Alice Walker, and Tillie Olsen... These writer’s focus on inequality between women and men. Many stories have been written using this thought process as the catalysts for the work.

Feminist criticism scrutinizes the ways in which literature reinforces or undermines the economic, politic, social and psychological oppression of women. One of the tools used

Feminist theory analyzes the gender inequality that women have faced throughout the years due to a patriarchal society. Women were expected to fit the traditional female and conform to the gender norms that society has constructed. According to A Brief Introduction to Critical Theory, “Feminism embodies a way of reading that investigates the text’s investment in or reaction to the patriarchal power structures that have dominated Western culture” (227). Patriarchal power has oppressed women economically, socially, and politically. Women were associated more with domesticity than with politics and financial situations. They were not provided the same educational opportunities as men. These issues have been addressed by people, such as Mary

Emma Bovary, the main protagonist in Madame Bovary, is a tragic character who attempts to project the romantic ideals and passion of the novels she reads onto her own life, which leads to her downfall and ultimately her death. Flaubert’s intentions with Madame Bovary, to provide an insight into the mundane affairs of the 19th century woman, and demonstrate the incompatibility of reality with unrealistic romantic ideals , were accomplished with the use of new literary concepts such as free indirect speech, internal monologue, and psychological realism. Previously portrayed as weak-willed, submissive characters serving only to contrast masculinity, Madame Bovary was one of the factors that was to change the way women were viewed in 19th century

Showalter traces the development of feminine identity through literature in three phases. Prior to the 20th century, women were the “idealized female,” as the object of male desire. Objectification and subjugation were the primary methods of patriarchal suppression. The next phase was feminism and this was a reaction to that patriarchy. This occurred in the 20th century and was highlighted by the theoretical writing and Civil Rights Movements of the 1960s. The most recent phase is “female.” This phase defines the female identity free from those past identities under male-dominated criticism. Gynocriticism is the reinterpreting of women in literature and history and this is a type of feminism. This type of criticism supplemented the historical liberation of women and was significant in that it was carried out and interpreted by

Colonialism/Postcolonialism is a remarkably comprehensive yet accessible guide to the historical and theoretical dimensions of colonial and postcolonial studies. National fantasies are they colonial, anti-colonial or postcolonial also play upon the connection between woman, land or nation. Feminist theory and postcolonial theory are occupied with similar questions of representation, voice, marginalization, and the relation between politics and literature. Given that both critical projections employ multidisciplinary perspectives, they are each attentive, at least in principle, to historical context and the geopolitical co-ordinates the subject in question. The identification of women as national mother stems from a wider association of nation with the family. The topic of feminism and postcolonialism is integrally tied to the project of literary postcoloniality