an explanation about feminism in literary criticism and its approaches through the centuries.

1. FEMINISM

2. IV. THE FEMINIST
APPROACH
The term feminism can be used to describe a
political, cultural or economic movement
aimed at establishing equal rights and legal
protection for women. Feminism involves
political and sociological theories and
philosophies concerned with issues of gender
difference, as well as a movement that
advocates gender equality for women and
campaigns for women's rights and interests.
Although the terms "feminism" and "feminist"
did not gain widespread use until the 1970s,
they were already being used in the public
parlance much earlier; for instance, Katherine
Hepburn speaks of the "feminist movement" in
the 1942 film Woman of the Year.

3. WHAT IS THE FEMINIST CRITICISM?
A type of literary criticism that critiques how females
are commonly represented in texts, and how
insufficient these representations are as a
categorizing device. They focus on how femininity is
represented as being passive and emotional. the
feminist critique of literature seeks to raise the
consciousness about the importance and unique
nature of women in literature, and to point out how
language has been used to marginalize women.
Feminist scholars wish to consider women as
subjects, or points of interest to study.
They do not want to categorize women as “objects”
as men often do.
Feminist approach to literary criticism main concern:
the ways in which literature undermines the
economic, political, social, and psychological
oppression of women.

4. Lisa Tuttle has defined feminist theory as asking
“new questions of old texts.” she cites 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 and
(6) to increase awareness of the sexual politics
of language and style.

5. 1.Feminist Literary Critic
Rebecca west’s work on women’s
suffrage from approximately 1910, can be
traced as the beginning of the feminist
criticism movement. In addition to west’s
work, Virginia Wolf ’s “A Room of One’s
Own” from 1929 is an integral text to the
movement. Prominent feminist literary
critics include Isobel Armstrong, Nancy
Armstrong. Barbara Bowen and many
other outstanding feminist’s advocates.

6. 2. Common space in feminist theories
though a number of different approaches exist in
feminist criticism, there exist some areas of
commonality. This list is excerpted from Tyson:
1. Women are oppressed by patriarchy
economically, politically, socially, and
psychologically; patriarchal ideology is the
primary means by which they are kept so.
2. all of western (Anglo-European) civilization is
deeply rooted in patriarchal ideology, for
example in the biblical portrayal of Eve as the
origins of sin and death in the world.

7. 3. while biology determines our sex (male or
female), culture determines our gender
(masculine or feminine).
4. all feminist activity, including feminist theory
and literary criticism, has its ultimate goal to
change the world by prompting gender equality.
5. gender issues play a part in every aspect of
human production and experience, including the
production and experience of literature,
whether we are consciously aware of these
issues or not.

8. Feminist criticism has, in many ways followed what
some theorists call the three waves of feminism:
1. First Wave Feminism – late 1700’s – early 1900’s:
writers like Mary Wollstonecraft (A Vindication of
the Rights of Women, 1972) highlights the
inequalities between sexes. Activists like Susan B.
Anthony and Victoria Woodhull contribute to the
women’s suffrage movement, which leads to
National Universal Suffrage in 1920 with the
passing of the Nineteenth Amendment.
2. Second Wave Feminism – early 1960’s- late 1970:
building on more equal working conditions
necessary in America during World War II,
movements such as the National Organization for
Women (NOW), formed in 1966, cohere feminist
political activism.

9. Writers like Simone de Beauvoir (The Second
Sex,1972) and Elaine Showalter established the
groundwork for the dissemination of feminist
theories dove-tailed with the American Civil
Rights movement.
3. Third Wave Feminism – early 1990s-present:
resisting the perceived essentialist (over
generalized, over simplified) ideologies and a
white, heterosexual, middle class focus of
second wave feminist, third wave feminist
borrows from post-structural and
contemporary gender and race theories.