English Lit 101: Literary Criticism - Feminist Criticism Patriarchy Gynocriticism Écriture Féminine Gender as Performance Intersectionality Waves of Feminism Woolf Gilbert Gubar Showalter Cixous Irigaray Kristeva

What It Is

Feminist Criticism is a critical theory that examines the representation of women in literature and the social and cultural contexts that shape these representations. It seeks to uncover the ways in which patriarchal societies have marginalized and oppressed women, and to challenge these power dynamics. A canonical example of feminist criticism can be seen in Virginia Woolf's essay "A Room of One's Own" (1929), where she argues that women's writing is often suppressed due to societal expectations and lack of economic independence.

Key Terms & Concepts

• Patriarchy: A social system in which men hold power and authority over women. Example: In Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew," the character of Petruchio exercises patriarchal control over his wife Kate.
• Gynocriticism: A subfield of feminist criticism that focuses on the experiences and perspectives of women. Example: Elaine Showalter's book "A Literature of Their Own" (1977) is a seminal work of gynocriticism.
• Écriture Féminine: A term coined by French feminist Hélène Cixous to describe a writing style that is characterized by fluidity, fragmentation, and the use of the body as a source of meaning. Example: Cixous's own writing style in "The Laugh of the Medusa" (1975) exemplifies écriture féminine.
• Gender as Performance: The idea that gender is a social construct that is performed and negotiated through language and behavior. Example: In Judith Butler's book "Gender Trouble" (1990), she argues that gender is a performance that is subject to change and revision.
• Intersectionality: The concept that women's experiences are shaped by multiple factors, including race, class, and sexuality. Example: bell hooks's book "Ain't I a Woman?" (1981) explores the intersectionality of racism and sexism in the lives of black women.
• Waves of Feminism: A term used to describe the different phases of feminist thought and activism, including the first wave (suffrage), the second wave (equality and reproductive rights), and the third wave (postmodern and intersectional feminism). Example: The first wave of feminism is often associated with the women's suffrage movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
• Woolf, Virginia: A British author and feminist critic who argued that women's writing is often suppressed due to societal expectations and lack of economic independence. Example: Woolf's essay "A Room of One's Own" (1929) is a classic work of feminist criticism.
• Gilbert & Gubar, Sandra: American authors and feminist critics who argued that women's writing is often characterized by a "patriarchal" voice. Example: Their book "The Madwoman in the Attic" (1979) is a seminal work of feminist criticism.
• Showalter, Elaine: An American author and feminist critic who argued that women's writing is often characterized by a "feminine" voice. Example: Her book "A Literature of Their Own" (1977) is a classic work of gynocriticism.
• Cixous, Hélène: A French author and feminist critic who argued that women's writing should be characterized by a fluid, fragmented style. Example: Her essay "The Laugh of the Medusa" (1975) is a classic work of feminist criticism.
• Irigaray, Luce: A French author and feminist critic who argued that women's writing should be characterized by a focus on the body and the feminine. Example: Her book "Speculum of the Other Woman" (1974) is a classic work of feminist criticism.
• Kristeva, Julia: A Bulgarian-French author and feminist critic who argued that women's writing should be characterized by a focus on the semiotic and the feminine. Example: Her book "Desire in Language" (1980) is a classic work of feminist criticism.

Common Misunderstandings

• Misunderstanding: Feminist criticism is only concerned with women's writing.
• Correction: Feminist criticism examines the representation of women in literature and the social and cultural contexts that shape these representations, regardless of the author's gender.
• Misunderstanding: Patriarchy is a term that only refers to men's power over women.
• Correction: Patriarchy is a social system in which men hold power and authority over women, but it can also refer to the ways in which women internalize and perpetuate patriarchal values.
• Misunderstanding: Gynocriticism is a term that only refers to the study of women's writing.
• Correction: Gynocriticism is a subfield of feminist criticism that focuses on the experiences and perspectives of women, but it can also refer to the study of women's writing and other forms of women's culture.

Quick Application / Identification

1. Identify the concept of patriarchy in the following passage from Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew": "I am asham'd that women are so simple / To offer war where they should never have but peace." (Act 1, Scene 1)
2. Answer: Patriarchy, as the character of Petruchio exercises patriarchal control over his wife Kate.

3. Reason: The passage illustrates the ways in which men hold power and authority over women in a patriarchal society.

4. Identify the concept of écriture féminine in the following passage from Hélène Cixous's essay "The Laugh of the Medusa": "The body is a writing machine, a machine that writes, a machine that writes the body."

5. Answer: Écriture féminine, as the passage illustrates a writing style that is characterized by fluidity, fragmentation, and the use of the body as a source of meaning.

6. Reason: The passage exemplifies the fluid, fragmented style that Cixous argues is characteristic of écriture féminine.

7. Identify the concept of intersectionality in the following passage from bell hooks's book "Ain't I a Woman?": "The intersection of racism and sexism in the lives of black women is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon."

8. Answer: Intersectionality, as the passage illustrates the ways in which women's experiences are shaped by multiple factors, including race and class.
9. Reason: The passage highlights the ways in which intersectionality shapes the lives of black women.

Last?Minute Revision

• The first wave of feminism is associated with the women's suffrage movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
• Virginia Woolf's essay "A Room of One's Own" (1929) is a classic work of feminist criticism.
• Hélène Cixous's essay "The Laugh of the Medusa" (1975) is a classic work of feminist criticism.
• Luce Irigaray's book "Speculum of the Other Woman" (1974) is a classic work of feminist criticism.
• Julia Kristeva's book "Desire in Language" (1980) is a classic work of feminist criticism.
• Patriarchy is a social system in which men hold power and authority over women.
• Gynocriticism is a subfield of feminist criticism that focuses on the experiences and perspectives of women.
• Écriture féminine is a term coined by Hélène Cixous to describe a writing style that is characterized by fluidity, fragmentation, and the use of the body as a source of meaning.
• Intersectionality is the concept that women's experiences are shaped by multiple factors, including race, class, and sexuality.
• The second wave of feminism is associated with the women's liberation movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
• The third wave of feminism is associated with postmodern and intersectional feminism.
• Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar's book "The Madwoman in the Attic" (1979) is a seminal work of feminist criticism.
• Elaine Showalter's book "A Literature of Their Own" (1977) is a classic work of gynocriticism.