🥽Literary Theory and Criticism Unit 6 – Feminist Literary Theory

What's This All About?

• Examines the ways in which literature and other cultural productions have been shaped by patriarchal societies and ideologies
• Analyzes how gender roles and identities are constructed and reinforced through literary texts and other forms of representation
• Seeks to challenge and subvert traditional gender hierarchies and binary oppositions (male/female, masculine/feminine)
• Explores the intersections of gender with other categories of identity, such as race, class, sexuality, and nationality
• Investigates the ways in which women's experiences, perspectives, and voices have been marginalized, silenced, or misrepresented in literature and culture
  • Aims to recover and revalue women's writing and artistic production
  • Examines how women writers have resisted or subverted patriarchal norms and expectations
• Interrogates the canon of "great works" and the criteria by which literary merit is determined
• Advocates for a more inclusive, diverse, and representative literary curriculum and cultural landscape

Key Thinkers and Their Big Ideas

• Virginia Woolf: Argued for the importance of a "room of one's own" and financial independence for women writers in her groundbreaking essay
• Simone de Beauvoir: Asserted that "one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman" in her influential book "The Second Sex," highlighting the social construction of gender
• Hélène Cixous: Developed the concept of "écriture féminine" (feminine writing), which emphasizes the subversive potential of women's writing to challenge phallocentric language and logic
• Luce Irigaray: Critiqued the masculine bias in Western philosophy and psychoanalysis, advocating for a recognition of sexual difference and the development of a feminine symbolic order
• Elaine Showalter: Pioneered the study of women's literature as a distinct literary tradition, coining the term "gynocritics" to describe the analysis of women's writing on its own terms
• bell hooks: Emphasized the importance of intersectionality, arguing that gender oppression is inextricably linked to other forms of oppression, such as racism and classism
• Judith Butler: Theorized gender as a performative act, rather than an essential identity, in her influential book "Gender Trouble"
• Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak: Analyzed the ways in which Western feminist discourse can reproduce colonial power relations and marginalize the voices of "subaltern" women

Major Waves of Feminism

• First Wave (late 19th to early 20th century): Focused primarily on women's suffrage and legal rights
  • Key figures include Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Emmeline Pankhurst
  • Culminated in the passage of the 19th Amendment in the United States, granting women the right to vote
• Second Wave (1960s to 1980s): Broadened the scope of feminist activism to include issues such as reproductive rights, workplace discrimination, and sexual violence
  • Influenced by the Civil Rights Movement and anti-war activism
  • Key texts include Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique" and Kate Millett's "Sexual Politics"
  • Criticized for its focus on the experiences of white, middle-class women
• Third Wave (1990s to present): Emphasizes diversity, intersectionality, and the deconstruction of gender binaries
  • Influenced by postmodernism, postcolonialism, and queer theory
  • Key figures include Rebecca Walker, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and Judith Butler
  • Embraces individual empowerment and sexual agency, while also recognizing the ongoing need for collective action
• Fourth Wave (2010s to present): Characterized by the use of social media and online activism to address issues such as sexual harassment, body shaming, and transgender rights
  • Sparked by the #MeToo movement and the Women's Marches
  • Emphasizes the importance of inclusive, intersectional feminism that recognizes the experiences of marginalized groups

Core Concepts and Terms

• Patriarchy: A social system in which men hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property
• Gender: The socially constructed characteristics, roles, and behaviors typically associated with being male or female, as opposed to biological sex
• Intersectionality: The idea that various forms of oppression and discrimination (such as racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia) are interconnected and cannot be examined separately
• The Male Gaze: A term coined by Laura Mulvey to describe the way in which visual media (such as film and advertising) objectify and sexualize women for the pleasure of the heterosexual male viewer
• Phallocentrism: The privileging of the masculine (symbolized by the phallus) in language, culture, and society
• Écriture féminine: A term coined by Hélène Cixous to describe a form of writing that subverts masculine language and logic and expresses women's unique experiences and perspectives
• Gynocriticism: A term coined by Elaine Showalter to describe the study of women's writing as a distinct literary tradition, with its own themes, styles, and concerns
• Queering: The process of challenging and subverting traditional gender and sexual norms, often through the lens of queer theory

Feminist Approaches to Reading Texts

• Examining the representation of female characters and their roles within the text
  • Are women portrayed as complex, multidimensional characters or as stereotypes and archetypes?
  • Do female characters have agency and autonomy, or are they primarily defined by their relationships to male characters?
• Analyzing the gendered power dynamics and relationships within the text
  • Who holds power and authority, and how is this power gendered?
  • Are there instances of sexual harassment, abuse, or violence, and how are these addressed?
• Considering the author's gender and how it may influence the text's perspective and themes
  • Does the author challenge or reinforce traditional gender roles and expectations?
  • Is the author writing from a position of marginality or privilege, and how does this shape the text?
• Examining the text's historical and cultural context with regard to gender norms and expectations
  • How does the text reflect or challenge the gender ideologies of its time?
  • Are there references to specific feminist movements, ideas, or figures that inform the text's meaning?
• Identifying instances of resistance, subversion, or transformation of patriarchal norms and values
  • Are there moments where female characters assert their agency, desire, or creativity in defiance of societal expectations?
  • Does the text offer alternative visions of gender roles, identities, and relationships?
• Applying feminist literary theories and concepts to illuminate the text's underlying meanings and messages
  • How might the concept of the Male Gaze be used to analyze the text's visual descriptions or narrative perspective?
  • Can the text be read as an example of écriture féminine, and if so, what are its subversive or transformative elements?

Critiques and Controversies

• Accusations of essentialism and universalizing women's experiences
  • Some critics argue that feminist theory tends to assume a universal female experience, ignoring differences based on race, class, sexuality, and other factors
  • The concept of a unified "sisterhood" has been challenged by women of color, working-class women, and LGBTQ+ individuals who feel excluded or marginalized by mainstream feminism
• Debates over the role of biology versus social construction in shaping gender identities
  • While most feminist theorists emphasize the social construction of gender, some argue that biological differences between the sexes cannot be entirely dismissed
  • The relationship between sex and gender remains a point of contention within feminist thought
• Critiques of the focus on Western, white, middle-class women's experiences
  • Feminist theory has been criticized for its historical focus on the experiences and concerns of privileged white women, often at the expense of women of color and those from the Global South
  • Postcolonial and transnational feminists have called for a more inclusive and intersectional approach that recognizes the diversity of women's experiences and struggles
• Tensions between different waves and strands of feminist thought
  • The priorities and strategies of different feminist movements have sometimes been at odds, leading to debates over issues such as pornography, sex work, and transgender rights
  • Some argue that the emphasis on individual empowerment in Third Wave feminism has come at the expense of collective action and structural change
• Backlash and resistance from conservative and anti-feminist forces
  • Feminist ideas and activism have often been met with backlash and resistance from those who seek to maintain traditional gender roles and hierarchies
  • The rise of online harassment and "men's rights" movements has posed new challenges for feminist organizers and theorists

Real-World Applications

• Influencing public policy and legislation on issues such as reproductive rights, equal pay, and domestic violence
  • Feminist activists have lobbied for laws and policies that protect women's bodily autonomy, economic security, and safety from violence and abuse
  • The passage of landmark legislation such as Title IX and the Violence Against Women Act can be attributed in part to feminist advocacy
• Shaping educational curricula and pedagogical practices to be more inclusive and equitable
  • Feminist scholars have pushed for the inclusion of women's voices, experiences, and contributions in fields such as literature, history, and science
  • Feminist pedagogy emphasizes the importance of creating safe, collaborative, and empowering learning environments for all students
• Promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace and other institutional settings
  • Feminist principles have informed efforts to address gender-based discrimination, harassment, and bias in the workplace and beyond
  • Initiatives such as diversity training, mentorship programs, and affirmative action policies have been influenced by feminist ideas and activism
• Challenging media representations and cultural stereotypes of gender and sexuality
  • Feminist media critics have called attention to the ways in which popular culture perpetuates harmful gender stereotypes and objectifies women's bodies
  • The Bechdel Test, which measures the representation of women in films, is an example of a feminist-inspired cultural critique that has gained mainstream attention
• Informing personal relationships, parenting practices, and individual choices and behaviors
  • Feminist ideas have encouraged individuals to question and challenge traditional gender roles and expectations in their own lives and relationships
  • Concepts such as emotional labor, consent, and body positivity have entered the mainstream discourse and shaped personal attitudes and behaviors

How It Connects to Other Theories

• Intersections with critical race theory and postcolonial studies
  • Feminist theorists have increasingly recognized the importance of considering how gender intersects with other categories of identity, such as race and nationality
  • Black feminist thought and postcolonial feminism have emerged as important subfields that examine the specific experiences and struggles of women of color and those from the Global South
• Engagement with Marxist and socialist theories of oppression and liberation
  • Some feminist thinkers have drawn on Marxist ideas to analyze the ways in which capitalism and patriarchy are intertwined and mutually reinforcing systems of oppression
  • Socialist feminism emphasizes the importance of class struggle and economic justice alongside gender equality
• Dialogue with psychoanalytic theories of gender and sexuality
  • Feminist theorists have both critiqued and built upon the insights of psychoanalysis, particularly with regard to the formation of gender identity and the role of the unconscious
  • Thinkers such as Julia Kristeva and Luce Irigaray have used psychoanalytic concepts to develop new theories of feminine subjectivity and language
• Contributions to queer theory and LGBT studies
  • Feminist theory has been instrumental in challenging heteronormative assumptions and binary conceptions of gender and sexuality
  • Queer theory, which emerged in the 1990s, draws heavily on feminist ideas to analyze the social construction of sexual identities and desires
• Influence on postmodern and deconstructionist approaches to literature and culture
  • Feminist thinkers have been at the forefront of postmodern and deconstructionist critiques of language, power, and representation
  • The work of theorists such as Hélène Cixous and Luce Irigaray has been influential in shaping poststructuralist approaches to literature and culture