sample feminist criticism essay

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

44 Student Essay Example: Feminist Criticism

The following student essay example of femnist criticism is taken from Beginnings and Endings: A Critical Edition . This is the publication created by students in English 211. This essay discusses Ray Bradbury’s short story ”There Will Come Soft Rains.”

Burning Stereotypes in Ray Bradbury’s “There Will Come Soft Rains”

By Karley McCarthy

Ray Bradbury’s short story “There Will Come Soft Rains” takes place in the fallout of a nuclear war. The author chooses to tell the story though a technologically advanced house and its animatronic inhabitants instead of a traditional protagonist. The house goes about its day-to-day as if no war had struck. It functions as though its deceased family is still residing in its walls, taking care of the maintenance, happiness, and safety of itself and the long dead family. On the surface, Bradbury’s story seems like a clear-cut warning about technology and humanity’s permissiveness. Given that the short story was written in the 1940s, it’s easy to analyze the themes present and how they related to women of the time. Bradbury’s apt precautionary tale can be used as a metaphor for women’s expectations and role in society after World War II and how some women may have dealt with the fallout of their husbands coming back home with psychological trauma.

To experience “There Will Come Soft Rains” from a feminist perspective, readers must be aware of the societal norms that would have shaped Bradbury’s writing. “Soft Rains” takes place in the year 2026. Yet the house and norms found throughout were, “modeled after concept homes that showed society’s expectations of technological advancement” (Mambrol). This can be seen in the stereotypical nuclear family that once inhabited the house as well as their cliché white home and the hobbies present. According to writer Elaine Tyler May’s book Homeward Bound, America’s view of women’s role in society undertook a massive pendulum swing during the World War II era as the country transitioned through pre-war to post-war life. For example, in a matter of decades support for women joining the workforce shifted from 80% in opposition to only 13% (May 59). Despite this shift, the men coming back from the war still expected women to position themselves as the happy housewife they had left behind, not the newfound career woman architype. Prominent figures of the 40s, such as actress Joan Crawford, portrayed a caricature of womanhood that is subservient to patriarchal gender roles, attempting to abandon the modern idea of a self-sufficient working-class woman (May 62-63). Keeping this in mind, how can this image of the 1940s woman be seen in Bradbury’s work?

Throughout Bradbury’s life he worked towards dismantling clichés in his own writing. A biography titled simply “Ray Bradbury” mentions that even in his earlier work, he was always attempting to “escape the constrictions of stereotypes” found in early science fiction (Seed 13). An example of him breaking constrictions could be his use of a nonhuman protagonist. Instead, Bradbury relies on the personification of the house and its robotic counterparts. Bradbury describes the house as having “electric eyes” and emotions such as a, “preoccupation with self-protection which bordered on a mechanical paranoia,” something that would make the house quiver at the sounds of the outside world (2-3). While these descriptions are interesting, Bradbury’s use of personification here is a thought-provoking choice when one breaks down what exactly the house is meant to personify.

One analysis of this story notes that the house’s personification, “replaces the most human aspects of life,” for its inhabitants (Mambrol). Throughout the story, the house acts as a caretaker, records a schedule, cooks, cleans, and even attempts to extinguish an all-consuming fire. While firefighting is not a traditionally feminine career or expectation from the 1940s (more on that later), most of the house’s daily tasks are replacing jobs that were traditionally held by a household’s matriarch. Expanding further on this dichotomy of male/woman tasks, a chore mentioned in the story that is ‘traditionally’ accepted as a masculine household duty—mowing the law—is still assigned as a male task. This is feels intentional to the house’s design as Bradbury is, “a social critic, and his work is pertinent to real problems on earth” (Dominianni 49). Bradbury’s story is not meant to commentate on just an apocalypse, but society at large.  Bradbury describes the west face of the house as, “black, save for five places” (Bradbury 1-2). These “five places” are the silhouettes of the family who had been incinerated by a nuclear bomb. The family’s two children are included playing with a ball, but the mother and father’s descriptions are most important. The mother is seen in a passive role, picking flowers, while the father mows the lawn. The subtext here is that the man is not replaceable in his mundane and tedious task. Only the woman is replaced. While this is a small flash into the owners’ lives, what “human aspect” or autonomy of the father’s life has been replaced by the house’s actions if the house is mainly personifying only the traditional 1940s female-held positions? The message here is that a man’s position in society is irreplaceable while a woman’s is one of mere support.

While this dynamic of husband vs subordinate is harmful, wives supporting their partners is nothing new. Homeward Bound explains that life after World War II for many women meant a return to their previous position as a housewife while many men came home irreparably damaged by years of warfare. PTSD, known then as shellshock, affected countless men returning from the war. Women were often expected to mend the psychological damage as part of their domestic responsibilities, even if they were unprepared for the realities of the severe trauma their husbands had faced (May 64-65). The psychological effects of the war came crashing into women’s lives the same way that the tree fell into the autonomous house in “Soft Rains”. As mentioned earlier, firefighting is not a task someone from the 40s would expect of women, but the house’s combustion and its scramble to save itself can be seen as a metaphor for women attempting to reverse the cold reality that the war had left them with. The picturesque family they had dreamed of would forever be scarred by the casualties that took place overseas. While Bradbury may not have meant for women to be invoked specifically from this precautionary tale, it’s obvious that him wanting his science fiction to act as, “a cumulative early warning system against unforeseen consequences,” would have impacted women of the time as much as men (Seed 22). The unforeseen consequences here is the trauma the war inflicted on families.

While men were fighting on the front lines, women back home and in noncombat positions would still feel the war’s ripples. In “Soft Rains” the nuclear tragedy had left, “a radioactive glow which could be seen for miles” (Bradbury 1). Despite the destruction, the house continues its routine as though nothing had happened. This can be seen as a metaphor for how women responded to the trauma their husbands brought back from the war. Women were urged to, “preserve for him the essence of the girl he fell in love with, the girl he longs to come back to. . .The least we can do as women is to try to live up to some of those expectations” (May 64). Following this, many could have put their desires and personal growth to the side to act as a secondary character in their husband’s lives.

The final line can be read as the culmination of similarities between post-war women and Bradbury’s house. The violence and destruction that fell upon the house in its final moments leaves little standing. What’s remarkable is how the house still attempts to continue despite its destruction. The final lines of the short story exemplify this: “Within the wall, a last voice said, over and over again and again, even as the sun rose to shine upon the heaped rubble and steam: ‘Today is August 5, 2026, today is August 5, 2026, today is…’” (Bradbury 5). The house is acting just like the women from the 40s, clinging to their past in an attempt to preserve something that had already been lost, society’s innocence. One analysis points out that, “The house is depicted in this way because it represents both humanity and humanity’s failure to save itself” (Mambrol). While it might be wrong to say that women were unable to save themselves in this situation, this quote does touch on an idea present in the feminist metaphor for “Soft Rains”. The preservation of “the essence of the girl he fell in love with, the girl he longs to come back to” was a failure (May 64). The same way that the house cannot preserve itself from destruction, women cannot preserve an image of themselves that had already dissolved. As mentioned earlier, women had already entered the workforce, a huge step towards removing sexist stereotypes around women’s worth. After garnering work-based independence, it seems impossible that the idea of women solely as men’s support would not immolate.

While Bradbury’s “Soft Rains” can be viewed as an apt precautionary tale with real modern world issues at hand, in many ways it is a period piece. As a writer in the 1940s, it’s hard to imagine that Bradbury’s story would not have been influenced by the framework of a nuclear family and the stereotypical expectations of this time. Bradbury’s use of personification opens dialogue about gender roles in the 1940s and how war had complicated patriarchal expectations. Despite his attempt to bypass science fiction stereotypes, his story is full of metaphor for gender stereotypes. Using a feminist lens to analyze the story allows it to be read as a metaphor for war and its effects on married women. The standard analysis appears to say that, “machine no longer served humanity in “There Will Come Soft Rains”; there humanity is subservient to machinery” (Dominianni 49). From a feminist perspective, instead of machine, the house represents patriarchy and gender norms. While men suffered greatly during World War II, women often put their wants and futures on hold to support their husbands. This is a selfless act that shows the resilience of women despite their society’s wish to downplay their potential and turn them into mere support.

Works Cited

Bradbury, Ray. “August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains.” Broome-Tioga BOCES, 1950, pp. 1-5. btboces.org/Downloads/7_There%20Will%20Come%20Soft%20Rains%20by%20Ray%20Bradbury.pdf.

Dominianni, Robert. “Ray Bradbury’s 2026: A Year with Current Value.” The English Journal , vol. 73, no. 7, 1984, pp. 49–51. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/817806

Mambrol, Nasrullah. “Analysis of Ray Bradbury’s There Will Come Soft Rains.” Literary Theory and Criticism , 17 Jan. 2022.

May, Elaine Tyler. “War and Peace: Fanning the Home Fires.”  Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era.  20th ed., Basic Books, 2008, pp. 58-88.

Seed, David. “Out of the Science Fiction Ghetto.”  Ray Bradbury (Modern Masters of Science Fiction).  University of Illinois, 2015, pp. 1-45.

Critical Worlds Copyright © 2024 by Liza Long is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book

Literary Theory and Criticism

Home › Feminism: An Essay

Feminism: An Essay

By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on April 27, 2016 • ( 6 )

Feminism as a movement gained potential in the twentieth century, marking the culmination of two centuries’ struggle for cultural roles and socio-political rights — a struggle which first found its expression in Mary Wollstonecraft ‘s Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792). The movement gained increasing prominence across three phases/waves — the first wave (political), the second wave (cultural) and the third wave (academic). Incidentally Toril Moi also classifies the feminist movement into three phases — the female (biological), the feminist (political) and the feminine (cultural).

The first wave of feminism, in the 19th and 20th centuries, began in the US and the UK as a struggle for equality and property rights for women, by suffrage groups and activist organisations. These feminists fought against chattel marriages and for polit ical and economic equality. An important text of the first wave is Virginia Woolf ‘s A Room of One’s Own (1929), which asserted the importance of woman’s independence, and through the character Judith (Shakespeare’s fictional sister), explicated how the patriarchal society prevented women from realising their creative potential. Woolf also inaugurated the debate of language being gendered — an issue which was later dealt by Dale Spender who wrote Man Made Language (1981), Helene Cixous , who introduced ecriture feminine (in The Laugh of the Medusa ) and Julia Kristeva , who distinguished between the symbolic and the semiotic language.

The second wave of feminism in the 1960s and ’70s, was characterized by a critique of patriarchy in constructing the cultural identity of woman. Simone de Beauvoir in The Second Sex (1949) famously stated, “One is not born, but rather becomes a woman” – a statement that highlights the fact that women have always been defined as the “Other”, the lacking, the negative, on whom Freud attributed “ penis-envy .” A prominent motto of this phase, “The Personal is the political” was the result of the awareness .of the false distinction between women’s domestic and men’s public spheres. Transcending their domestic and personal spaces, women began to venture into the hitherto male dominated terrains of career and public life. Marking its entry into the academic realm, the presence of feminism was reflected in journals, publishing houses and academic disciplines.

Mary Ellmann ‘s Thinking about Women (1968), Kate Millett ‘s Sexual Politics (1969), Betty Friedan ‘s The Feminine Mystique (1963) and so on mark the major works of the phase. Millett’s work specifically depicts how western social institutions work as covert ways of manipulating power, and how this permeates into literature, philosophy etc. She undertakes a thorough critical understanding of the portrayal of women in the works of male authors like DH Lawrence, Norman Mailer, Henry Miller and Jean Genet.

In the third wave (post 1980), Feminism has been actively involved in academics with its interdisciplinary associations with Marxism , Psychoanalysis and Poststructuralism , dealing with issues such as language, writing, sexuality, representation etc. It also has associations with alternate sexualities, postcolonialism ( Linda Hutcheon and Spivak ) and Ecological Studies ( Vandana Shiva )

Elaine Showalter , in her “ Towards a Feminist Poetics ” introduces the concept of gynocriticism , a criticism of gynotexts, by women who are not passive consumers but active producers of meaning. The gynocritics construct a female framework for the analysis of women’s literature, and focus on female subjectivity, language and literary career. Patricia Spacks ‘ The Female Imagination , Showalter’s A Literature of their Own , Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar ‘s The Mad Woman in the Attic are major gynocritical texts.

The present day feminism in its diverse and various forms, such as liberal feminism, cultural/ radical feminism, black feminism/womanism, materialist/neo-marxist feminism, continues its struggle for a better world for women. Beyond literature and literary theory, Feminism also found radical expression in arts, painting ( Kiki Smith , Barbara Kruger ), architecture( Sophia Hayden the architect of Woman’s Building ) and sculpture (Kate Mllett’s Naked Lady).

Share this:

Categories: Uncategorized

Tags: A Literature of their Own , A Room of One's Own , Barbara Kruger , Betty Friedan , Dale Spender , ecriture feminine , Elaine Showalter , Feminism , Gynocriticism , Helene Cixous , http://bookzz.org/s/?q=Kate+Millett&yearFrom=&yearTo=&language=&extension=&t=0 , Judith Shakespeare , Julia Kristeva , Kate Millett , Kiki Smith , Literary Criticism , Literary Theory , Man Made Language , Mary Ellmann , Mary Wollstonecraft , Patricia Spacks , Sandra Gilbert , Simone de Beauvoir , Sophia Hayden , Susan Gubar , The Female Imagination , The Feminine Mystique , The Laugh of the Medusa , The Mad Woman in the Attic , The Second Sex , Toril Moi , Towards a Feminist Poetics , Vandana Shiva , Vindication of the Rights of Woman

Related Articles

• Mary Wollstonecraft’s Contribution to Feminism – Literary Theory and Criticism Notes
• Kate Millett’s Sexual Politics – Literary Theory and Criticism Notes
• The Influence of Poststructuralism on Feminism – Literary Theory and Criticism Notes
• Sigmund Freud and the Trauma Theory – Literary Theory and Criticism Notes
• Gender and Transgender Criticism – Literary Theory and Criticism Notes
• Second Wave Feminism – Literary Theory and Criticism Notes

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Feminist Criticism in Literature: Character of Women in Books Essay

Feminist criticism is a literature trait, which deals with the rights of women, and other issues concerning women. Feminist criticism is a trait that involves analyzing the picture and character of women in books. The trait is also a political campaign, which has an aim of influencing the way people see and take women. This is achievable when a book advocates for the rights of women or the book demonstrates the way a woman is undergoing oppression daily by her male counterpart. When one critically analyses all these issues the result is feminist criticism.

In the short play ‘Trifles’, feminism as a trait is a very important technique. The book shows how the man oppresses the woman figure. The role of the woman is to be led by the man and follow what the man wants. During that period, the word of man is final and whatsoever condition is an objection allowed coming from the woman. This treatment of women by their men counterparts is mean and selfish. The men cease to notice the hard work of women and their dedication to the various roles they carry out. The neighboring farmer, sheriff, and attorney demonstrate the superiority of men.

They criticize the work of Mrs. Wright saying that, it is not up to the expected standards. Considering that a farmer’s wife has a lot of work both in the house and in the farm, they fail to appreciate the work that she whole-heartedly achieves. It is for this reason that man and woman have taken separate sides. All sides are advocating for their rights and looking to justify their biased reasons. This leads to forming of alliances based on gender, an example in ‘Trifles’ the women form an alliance against the men, in which they hide the real truth from the men because they feel sympathy for Mrs. Wright (Cobrin)

The unimportance of women in the play is a critical factor for the women should follow all the things that their men counterparts impose on them. This means that women should follow all the orders even though they do not support the action. In demonstrating the unimportance of women, irony is in use extensively. The heading of the short play trifle means something that is small. It conveys that the woman is miniature creature with not much importance in the world. In the book “Minnie”, before she is in marriage, she is extraordinarily beautiful, and she sings and makes people happy. Then Minnie changes after her marriage to Wright. The process of changing in Winnie symbolically is in the form of an explanation where they use a bird and its cage. The bird describes Minnie and the birdcage signifies marriage, which changes the life of the bird. When Minnie enters into marriage, which is a lifelong commitment, the marriage changes her to another personality. The new personality is sad and hates the husband for changing her joyful personality.

Frequently men dictate for women, in doing this they are trying to show superiority. An example is a sheriff, and the county attorney, when they should be searching for evidence they are busy criticizing the misconduct of Winnie saying that she is not neat. An argument erupts when the men try to involve the women in the conversation looking down on Winnie because the women undoubtedly support her.

The book is an example of a murder case where Winnie’s husband decides that he does not want the family to socialize with the other people of the community. Before Winnie’s marriage, she is remarkably lively, joyful, and sings which makes people happy, but now she is remarkably different she is now Mrs. Wright. The bird is extremely valuable to Winnie because it is the only thing that reminds her of the good times before she is married. Therefore, she feels a lot of annoyance towards her husband when he kills the bird; the reaction is planning a plot to kill her husband. The reason to justify Winnie’s actions is that, Wright has changed her life to the worst for an exceedingly long time, and it is time he pays vividly for everything he has done.

It is during the 1900s period when women are heavily disregarded because they are homemakers. Men do not appreciate the work that women do though it is not an easy role. Despite the importance of the critical role women play in society, men still fail to appreciate them. In the book, the women have highly significant clues on the murder of Mr. Wright. The ignorance of the men hinders them from noticing this. If only they were keen, they would have been able to solve the case due in a very short time. When investigating a case a person needs to view all the possibilities. The investigator should give space for all possibilities that can lead to solving the case no matter the nature of the cause (Christakos)

The character traits of the men in the play are that there are very important, stern but in the real situation, the women portray a better picture. In that, during the investigation period in Mr. Wright’s house, the women are quick to notice issues that can be of help in the investigation towards finding the murderer of Mr. Wright. Some of the things they notice are that the house is very dull and disorganized. They guess that the house being in that situation is that, Mr. Wright has succeeded in changing her real characteristics to a very careless and sad character. The women decide to be loyal to their gender, and they hide the box with the dead bird from the men. At the same time, their stealing the box is an act that is illegal and coldhearted to society.

The character of Mrs. Hale is judgmental since she has not visited her neighbors the Wright’s for a whole year because the climate of the house is dull and cold. She is also human; this is because after the death of Mr. Wright, she feels guilty. After all, she might have done something to prevent this from happening. For example if they were friends with Winnie then maybe she would not be so sad leave alone being lonely, then probably she would be in a better position and the husband would still be alive.

Mrs. Peters is very sympathetic with the situation that they are facing a situation that she is in a relationship with. Mrs. Peters has lost her two-year-old child to stillness. This child was the firstborn, and until now, she has not forgotten the painful experience.

Mrs. Wright is previously known as Winnie before marriage. The marriage has made her a very sad, lonely and bitter woman. The dominating characteristics of the husband are the reasons for her drastic change. The man is the head of the family so; all that they say is a command no matter how unpleasant it is to the counterpart.

Feminism criticism is a critical style that is widely in use in the short play (Salas). The treatment of women by their male counterparts is one of the ways of demonstrating feminist criticism. The other method is where women form alliances that work against women, and in these alliances, the women discuss how men are unfair, mistreated and fail to appreciate the things that they do. The women also justify their actions saying that it’s the only means of survival, keeping in mind that the men counterparts are too dominating for women to bond naturally.

Works Cited

Christakos, George. Integrative Problem-Solving in a Time of Decadence. Newark, Delaware: Springer, 2010.

Cobrin, Pamela. From winning the vote to directing on Broadway: the emergence of women on the New York stage,. Newark, Delaware: University of Delaware Press, 2009.

Salas, Susan. Hispanic Literature Criticism: Guimarães Rosa-Viramontes. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale Group, 1999.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2022, January 9). Feminist Criticism in Literature: Character of Women in Books. https://ivypanda.com/essays/feminist-criticism-in-literature/

"Feminist Criticism in Literature: Character of Women in Books." IvyPanda , 9 Jan. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/feminist-criticism-in-literature/.

IvyPanda . (2022) 'Feminist Criticism in Literature: Character of Women in Books'. 9 January.

IvyPanda . 2022. "Feminist Criticism in Literature: Character of Women in Books." January 9, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/feminist-criticism-in-literature/.

1. IvyPanda . "Feminist Criticism in Literature: Character of Women in Books." January 9, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/feminist-criticism-in-literature/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Feminist Criticism in Literature: Character of Women in Books." January 9, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/feminist-criticism-in-literature/.

• Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne
• Winnie Truong’s Solo Trade Fair: An Art Exhibition
• Family Law: Succession and Probate Practice
• Tuck Everlasting: Differences Between the Book and the Film
• Drama: Susan Glaspell’s Trifle’s
• Literary Analysis Susan Glespell's Trifles
• "Trifles" by Susan Glaspell: Murder, She Wrote
• Critical Analysis of the Plays: The Three Sisters and Happy Days
• White Noise by Don Delillo Literature Analysis
• Use of Language in Susan Glaspell’s 'Trifles'
• Trifles and The Story of an Hour Comparison
• “The Blue Castle” by Lucy Maud Montgomery: Social Construction and Gender Stereotypes
• The Depth of Chekhov’s Vision in “The Lady With the Dog”
• “The Wrongs of Woman” by Mary Wollstonecraft
• Culture and Identity as Depicted in Kay's “Trumpet”

• Use Messenger
• Send us an email

How to Write a Feminist Criticism Essay

A feminist criticism essay is usually a careful analysis of the feminist issues, represented in the book, which are basically concerned with the images of the female characters and their role in the narration. There are a number of standard aspects you can focus on, while exploring the view of the author on women, expressed in his work.

First of all, prepare sketches of the female characters. For this you need to single out all the information the narrator gives us about them – their background, childhood, sexuality, work, and outlook on the world. The better you get to know the characters, the easier it will be to draw conclusions about them.

The second step would be to compare and contrast these female heroines to their male counterparts. Their opposition is of vital importance for feminist criticism. While contrasting them, it is recommended to take into account the historical period of time, depicted in the book, and decide whether the relationship, shown between the male and female characters, was typical for that time or not, and, probably, indicate the reasons for this. What is more, it can help you learn the views of the writer on the ideal situation with women, as it can give you a key to understanding the female characters . It is also advisable to analyse the conversations between men and women, their attitude to each other and their overall role in the book. Make sure you examine the views that men and women in the book express concerning females.

All in all, the more detailed and argumentative your essay is, the better impression it will produce on the readers. Therefore, examine various aspects and questions, since it will help you get a complete picture of the piece.

Descriptive Essay on Good Parent

What Is Good Parent? All people have their own understanding of perfect parents whom they want to become for their children. This perception is formed by many different factors, such as their own upbringing, their will and readiness to be parents, desire to study some literature on parenting and psychology, surrounding, etc. I want to…

5-Paragraph Essay on Effects of Divorce Upon Children

Effects of Divorce Upon Children When people say that divorce is one of the most difficult realities for children, I agree with them, as I was one of such kids. But still, I think that it is not reasonable to continue relationships with a person whom you don’t love anymore, or even hate only because…

Essay on “Sociology”

A good understanding of people; socially, politically and economically yield the best relations in work place hence better productivity. Thanks to sociology that now different societies have been studied making it easier to know what a person’s social life is like. Every society has it social line of living which includes cultures, religion and on…

Our Services

• Academic ghostwriting
• Admission essay help
• Article writing
• Assignment writing
• College paper writing
• Coursework writing
• Dissertation writing
• Homework writing
• Online classes
• Personal statement writing
• Report writing
• Research paper writing
• Speech writing
• Term paper writing
• Writing tips
• Write my paper

23 Texts to Introduce Feminist Criticism in High School ELA

• Reading Instruction

When I introduce literary criticism to my students, feminist criticism is one of the first lenses we use.

In part, we encounter feminist criticism early on because students know the word “feminist” or “feminism” without always know what those terms mean. Unfortunately, some of my students often have negative attitudes toward “feminist” and “feminism.” Introducing feminist criticism helps students unpack those terms and better understand what it means to be a feminist.

Additionally, at the high school level, feminist criticism is fairly straightforward. When applying feminist criticism, we are basically looking at how a text treats its womxn characters. In other words, we’re asking the same three questions over and over:

• First, how does the text treat womxn characters?
• Similarly, what does the treatment of womxn characters reveal about the text, its author, or its historical context?
• Finally, does the treatment of womxn characters support or undermine the author’s purpose for writing? Why or why not?

Keep reading to check out 23 texts that help students answer these questions!

This post this post may contain affiliate links .  Please read the  Terms of Use .

Using Mythology to Introduce Feminist Criticism

Anytime I introduce a new critical lens , I like to start with a familiar text. Since literary criticism requires students to evaluate a text from a new angle, it’s helpful to begin with a low-stress text.

By the time students come to me, they have usually read The Odyssey , so that’s oftentimes a good place for us to begin applying literary criticism.

Firstly, I often begin with “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood. For one, students usually remember Odysseus’ encounter with the sirens. (Even if they don’t, we can quickly re-read the scene here .) As we’re reading or recalling this scene, we can discuss how many of the womxn characters in The Odyssey are vilified, including Circe and Calypso . Then, to take our feminist criticism further, we can read “Siren Song” and evaluate how Atwood’s version of events is different from Homer’s original. To extend this lesson, teachers can do the same thing with the song “Calypso” by Suzanne Vega.

Penelope As a Focal Point for Feminist Criticism

Similarly, there are a variety of poems that reimagine Penelope’s role in The Odyssey . While students may not always remember Penelope, we can quickly remember her by reading Penelope , Penelope’s Suitors , and Penelope’s Test . Once students are more familiar with Penelope’s story, we can use feminist criticism to evaluate the source. Then, we can dive into some more modern reinterpretations of Penelope’s story.

• First, “Penelope” by Dorothy Parker is a short glimpse into Penelope’s days. This is a great place to begin applying literary criticism, especially since the poem’s first person provides key contrast to the original text. Read it here .
• Similarly, “Penelope to Ulysses” by Meredith Schwartz also uses the first person. The epistolary nature of this poem adds another layer of complexity. (Plus, teachers can build on this poem by having students write their own letters to Ulysses.) Read it here .
• Finally, “An Ancient Gesture” by Edna St. Vincent Millay is my favorite of these three poems because it modernizes Penelope’s struggle. Rather than focusing on Penelope, this poem focuses on how her story continues to be re-lived by other womxn today. This poem provides a good opportunity to connect the text to modern times. Read it here .

Grab all three of my resources for teaching these poems in The Odyssey Synthesis Bundle !

Helen as a Focal Point for Feminist Criticism

Like Penelope, Helen is a well-known figure in mythology. Unlike Penelope, fewer of my students are familiar with Helen, so using her as a focal point for feminist criticism is a way to begin leveling up.

• Firstly, “Helen of Troy” by Ella Wheeler Wilcox has a clear sonnet structure that students understand. For this reason, students can spend more time focused on a feminist reading of the poem. Read it here .
• Additionally, “Helen” by Nikita Gill is a student favorite! My students are often familiar with Gill’s work from social media, and her book Great Goddesses: Life Lessons from Myths and Monsters is always checked out from the classroom library. The question at the end of this poem makes it a great candidate for feminist criticism!
• Finally, “Helen” by H.D. is the most challenging of these texts because it is the most ambiguous . Once students have a grip on the poem, they can turn readily to feminist criticism, but they have to nail the poem’s meaning first. Read it here .

Teaching resources and lesson plans for all three of these poems are included in my 11-12 Synthesizing Allusion Across Media Bundle , which helps students synthesize across media by focusing on one central allusion.

Poetry to Teach Feminist Criticism

Beyond mythology, poetry is a good way to introduce feminist criticism. The brevity of poetry makes it an ideal medium for applying new skills and concepts. Here are some of my favorite poems for using feminist criticism:

Firstly, “The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica” by Judith Ortiz Cofer is a good poem to begin with. While this is a longer poem, the language is fairly straightforward, so students can spend less time paraphrasing and more time applying feminist criticism. Read it here .

Secondly, “What I Carried” by Maggie Smith is another great poem for introducing feminist criticism. In this shorter poem, students have to grapple with feminist criticism in the context of motherhood. Another great Smith poem is “You Could Never Take a Car to Greenland.” Read them both in Good Bones , one of my favorite poetry collections.

Similarly, the one word in “One-Word Poem” by David R. Slavitt pairs nicely with either of Maggie Smith’s poems. This offers readers another perspective on motherhood, which is complicated by Slavitt writing the poem without every being a mother. Read it here .

As students become more comfortable with feminist criticism, they’re ready for more challenging poems. To my mind, that means poetry that’s complicated by sarcasm, understatement, and irony. Two great poems for this next level are “I Sit and Sew” by Alice Moore Dunbar-Nelson and “I, being born a woman and distressed” by Edna St. Vincent Millay. The first time we read these poems, my students almost always giggle a little. In other words, these are engaging poems for students.

Grab four of these poems in the Feminist Criticism Bundle !

Short Stories for Teaching Feminist Criticism

As students continue to develop their skills with feminist criticism, we move on to longer works. Short stories are great tools for literary criticism because they often lend themselves to more than one critical lens. Check out some of my favorite short stories for feminist criticism:

• Firstly, “A White Heron” by Sarah Orne Jewett is an English classroom staple. When my students are newer to literary criticism, I often choose this text because the plot is fairly simple, but the text lends itself to several critical lenses, including Marxist and feminist criticism. Read it here .
• Similarly, “The Yellow Wall-Paper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a popular text for American literature. Since this text is a little longer and more complex than “A White Heron,” it’s a great level up for students. When teachers couple this short story with the essay “Why I Wrote ‘The Yellow Wall-paper’?” , students have the chance to practice biographical and feminist criticism. Read the short story here .
• In contrast to the sympathetic protagonists in Jewett and Perkins Gilman’s work, the protagonist of “Editha” by William Dean Howells is not sympathetic. As such, this short story provides a greater challenge to students as they read and annotate. Additionally, this is the first short story recommendation that doesn’t come from a womxn author, which will complicate students’ classroom conversation. Read it here .

Increased Complexity for Criticism

• Additionally, the protagonist in “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid is sympathetic while the speaker is not. While this story is short, its structure is more complex. Like “What I Carried,” this story also introduces the relationship between mother and daughter. Overall, this text requires a nuanced approach to feminist criticism. Read it here .
• Next, “Berenice” by Edgar Allan Poe is named after the woman character, but she’s not the speaker nor is she given much agency. As with Howells’ story, the feminist criticism here is complicated by Poe’s writing. Furthermore, the horrifying nature of this text makes it a hard read in some ways. Check it out here .
• Finally, my favorite short story on this list is “A New England Nun” by Mary E. Freeman. This is such a great read for several types of literary criticism, including Marxist, deconstructionist , and feminist criticism. Overall, the end of this short story makes it a must-read. Check it out here .

To help you bring all of these short stories into your classroom, I’ve put together a 9-12 Short Stories bundle that will save you time and money!

Longer Works for Teaching Feminist Criticism

As students become more adept at literary criticism, they can begin evaluating longer and more complex works.

Oftentimes when teachers think of longer works, we think of novels. While I do have some novel recommendations, dramas are also an amazing tool for literary criticism. Because drama is performed, it really lends itself to the kind of dialogue in which literary criticism thrives. Check out these three dramas for incorporating feminist criticism:

• Firstly, many English teachers first think of Lady Macbeth when considering womxn in drama. Indeed, Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a great opportunity for feminist criticism.
• Similarly, Julius Caesar is another Shakespearean drama ripe for literary criticism! The fact that there are so few womxn characters in this text provides students with a great sense of focus.
• If Shakespeare is not the dramatist for you, The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a good play for applying literary criticism. The treatment of Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail Williams makes for strong discussion.

Beyond classroom dramas, novels are always a good place to apply literary criticism. In this case, my two recommendations are diametrically different.

• Firstly, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald features womxn characters who are not empowered. When the womxn characters in the text do have agency, it’s always coupled with wealth and privilege. Reading this novel alongside Fitzgerald’s short story “Winter Dreams” also provides a rich conversation about how Fitzgerald treats womxn characters.
• On the other hand, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen features womxn characters with varied levels of privilege and agency. The diverse motivations of the womxn characters also factors into classroom conversations about feminist criticism.

Further Reading

Since literary criticism is one of my passions, I’ve written quite a bit about it. Check out these related posts and resources:

• 5 Reasons to Include Literary Criticism, and 5 Ways to Make it Happen
• How to Introduce Deconstructionist Literary Criticism
• Teaching at the Intersection of History and Literature
• 8 Ways to Bring Creativity into the Classroom
• 40 Texts for Teaching Literary Criticism
• Historical and Biographical Criticism
• Deconstructionist Criticism Bundle
• All Literary Criticism Resources
• Introducing Literary Criticism
• Feminist Criticism Bundle
• Historical Criticism

Read these posts next...

3 Nonfiction Text Pairings for To Kill a Mockingbird

Five Years Of Nerdy Posts: I Am Who My Students Think

Abridging Your First Text? Use these 7 Tips to Keep it Easy

Abridge a Text When You See These 4 Surefire Signs

Let's Stay in Touch

Join Moore English

Feminist Criticism Essays

The victim’s struggle against patriarchal norms, popular essay topics.

• American Dream
• Artificial Intelligence
• Black Lives Matter
• Bullying Essay
• Career Goals Essay
• Causes of the Civil War
• Child Abusing
• Civil Rights Movement
• Community Service
• Cultural Identity
• Cyber Bullying
• Death Penalty
• Depression Essay
• Domestic Violence
• Freedom of Speech
• Global Warming
• Gun Control
• Human Trafficking
• I Believe Essay
• Immigration
• Importance of Education
• Israel and Palestine Conflict
• Leadership Essay
• Legalizing Marijuanas
• Mental Health
• National Honor Society
• Police Brutality
• Pollution Essay
• Racism Essay
• Romeo and Juliet
• Same Sex Marriages
• Social Media
• The Great Gatsby
• The Yellow Wallpaper
• Time Management
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• Violent Video Games
• What Makes You Unique
• Why I Want to Be a Nurse
• Send us an e-mail

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to  upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

• We're Hiring!
• Help Center

example of a literary work's analysis by using feminist criticism

Related Papers

Ulfa Kurnia

JASH MATHEW

This research deals with an important area in Bakathir's works, woman portrayal in his novels which does not get the sufficient study and attention. It studies and analyzes the image of woman in Bakathir's novels WaIslamah 'Oh Islam", Al-Thaa'er Al-Ahmar 'the Red Rebel' and SiratShoja'a' the Biography of the Brave'. There are two main objectives of the research, first is to point out how did Bakathir portray woman in his novels and the second is to find out why he portrayed woman in such away. There are three parts of this research; the first is the introduction, which talks about Bakathir's age and life, an outline of his literary career and his view of woman. The second part deals with the portrayal of woman in Bakathir's novels, Gelnar in WaIslamah, Aaliyah in the Red Rebel and Sumayyah in the Biography of the Brave. The third part of the research is the conclusion and findings. It is clear from the research that Bakathir portrayed woman in a positive and bright image. Woman is presented as a wise, brave, hardworking, clever, faithful, honest, heroic, cooperative, influential, skillful and successful Muslim wife and woman with leadership qualities. Bakathir's positive portrayal of woman is influenced by his Islamic ideology as well as his own view and philosophy where he thinks that woman should be admired and appreciated.

Mustafa Mheta

Proceedings of the International Conference on Culture and Language in Southeast Asia (ICCLAS 2017)

Rizqi Handayani

Halla Attallah

Many scholars of Islam consider feminist Qur'anic studies-the subject of women in the Qur'an-as a tangential subfield motivated by political interests as opposed to genuine "scientific" inquiry. Celene Ibrahim's book, Women and Gender in the Qur'an, challenges these assumptions. Through analysis of female representations in the Qur'an, Ibrahim earns a place alongside noteworthy scholars such as Fazlur Rahman, Ingrid Mattson, Amina Wadud, and Barbara Stowasser. Ibrahim investigates Qur'anic stories and themes using a kaleidoscope of methods from both the traditional Qur'anic sciences and contemporary western scholarship. She accomplishes this task skillfully while attending to central questions about female embodiment, agency, sexuality, and roles within religious and familiar structures. Women and Gender in the Qur'an is divided into four chapters, with each exploring a different Qur'anic theme and textual dimension. Ibrahim's analysis is divided into two main components: an in-depth textual investigation and what she refers to as a "femalecentric" reading of this data (10). Descriptively, the book offers a comprehensive introduction to women in Qur'anic narratives-the stories of the prophets and their families-and to the Qur'an's language. It introduces readers to both prominent female figures, such as Mary, and more obscure representations embedded within Qur'anic parables. These include the "one woman who unravels the yarn" (Q 16:92). Ibrahim also offers an in-depth semantic analysis of key theopolitical terms, such as "family (ahl)" and "house (ā l)," highlighting the female presence in each (28). Cognizant of the issues related to scholarly positionality and authority, Ibrahim defines her interpretive lens carefully. She refers to herself as a "tentative" female Muslim exegete or "mufassira" (8), thereby situating her brand of analysis at the intersection of Muslim exegesis (tafsīr) and feminist studies without oversimplifying the complexities of each intellectual tradition or their implications within the Muslim/secular academic context-particularly those presented by the term "feminism." Hers is a pious reading that is concerned with female bodies. The first two chapters, "Female sex and sexuality" and "Female kin, procreation and parenting," examine representations of sexed bodies, reproduction, and kinship. She Studies in Religion / Sciences Religieuses 1-3 ª The Author(s) / Le(s) auteur(s), 2021 Article reuse guidelines/ Directives de réutilisation des articles: sagepub.com/journals-permissions

International Journal of Linguistics and Culture

Asmat A Sheikh

Thera Widyastuti

The Qur'an recognizes anatomical differences between men and women. The Qur'an also recognizes that each gender function by reflecting on the differences that have been formulated well and maintained by the culture, both from women and men. Women have limited role in the domestic sphere, while men are more dominant in playing roles in the public sphere. Patriarchal society sees women as weak, emotional, subtle, and shy while men are strong, rational, abusive and brave. Novel of Cinta Suci Zahrana and Bidadari Bermata Bening by Habiburrahman El Shirazy presents the main character of beautiful and intelligent women who are religious. The problem in this research is how gender equality in the novel of Cinta Suci Zahrana and Bidadari Bermata Bening. The method used is qualitative with intrinsic approach (character and setting), and extrinsic (sociology of literature and feminism). Zahrana and Ayna are portrayed as independent female characters who can play a role in the public s...

Mu'ammar Zayn Qadafy

Ana Milosavljevic

RELATED PAPERS

International Journal of Electronics and Electrical Engineering

komsoon Somprasong

Production and Analysis of Polarized X Rays

Erik Johnson

Revista de derecho (Valparaíso)

Manuel Rodríguez Vega

Raquel Recuero

Journal of Petroleum Exploration and Production Technology

Sinesio Pesco

Journal of the Optical Society of America B

Hirokazu Kubota

usman qadri

Neily Autharina

Antibiotics

Allen Chang

Journal of Community Engagement Research for Sustainability

Helentina Situmorang

Jenni Viitanen

Journal of Network and Computer Applications

Núria Busom Figueres

Revista Brasileira De Agroecologia

JOAO PAULO FERREIRA DA SILVA

Crystallography Reports

Vasily Lutsyk

Revista Educação, Artes e Inclusão

Vera Lucia Penzo Fernandes

Records of the Australian Museum, Supplement

Desalination

Ben Clifford

Aceh International Journal of Science and Technology

Helen Raplong

Mohamad Adnan FARWATI

原版的成绩单制作 大学毕业证成绩单学位证留信网认证

Inverse Problems & Imaging

EconStor Research Reports

Silvana Tiedemann

87527357毕业证成绩单原版学位证假文凭 未能正常毕业？办理毕业证成绩单

See More Documents Like This

•   We're Hiring!
•   Help Center
• Find new research papers in:
• Health Sciences
• Earth Sciences
• Cognitive Science
• Mathematics
• Computer Science
• Academia ©2024

Find Study Materials for

• Business Studies
• Combined Science
• Computer Science
• Engineering
• English Literature
• Environmental Science
• Human Geography
• Macroeconomics
• Microeconomics
• Social Studies
• Browse all subjects
• Read our Magazine

Create Study Materials

How would you expect a female character to be presented in a piece of 18th-century literature, compared to a piece of 21st-century literature? What are the social structures and expectations that influence these portrayals?

Explore our app and discover over 50 million learning materials for free.

• Feminist Literary Criticism
• Explanations
• StudySmarter AI
• Textbook Solutions
• American Drama
• American Literary Movements
• American Literature
• American Poetry
• American Regionalism Literature
• American Short Fiction
• Critical Race Theory
• Cultural Studies
• Deconstruction
• Derrick Bell
• Disability Theory
• Eco-Criticism
• Edward Said
• Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick
• F. R. Leavis
• Ferdinand Saussure
• Formalism Literary Theory
• Fredric Jameson
• Freudian Criticism
• Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak
• Harold Bloom
• Helene Cixous
• Homi Bhabha
• Intersectionality
• Jacques Derrida
• Jacques Lacan
• Jean Baudrillard
• Jean-Francois Lyotard
• Julia Kristeva
• Kimberle Crenshaw
• Luce Irigaray
• Marxism Literary Criticism
• Mikhail Bakhtin
• Narratology
• New Historicism
• Patricia J. Williams
• Post-Structuralism
• Postcolonial Literary Theory
• Postmodern Literary Theory
• Psychoanalytic Literary Criticism
• Queer Theory
• Raymond Williams
• Reader Response Criticism
• Roland Barthes
• Roman Jakobson
• Rosemarie Garland Thomson
• Stephen Greenblatt
• Structuralism Literary Theory
• Terry Eagleton
• Walter Benjamin
• Walter Pater
• Literary Devices
• Literary Elements
• Literary Movements
• Literary Studies
• Non-Fiction Authors

Lerne mit deinen Freunden und bleibe auf dem richtigen Kurs mit deinen persönlichen Lernstatistiken

Nie wieder prokastinieren mit unseren Lernerinnerungen.

Feminist literary criticism attempts to answer these questions and critique literature through feminist theory.

Feminist theory explores gender inequality, aiming to understand its roots and nature. In sociology, feminism is a key conflict theory, which argues that society is in continuous conflict due to the inequalities between men and women.

Content warning: This article discusses sexual harassment and violence against women.

Feminist literary criticism: definition

Feminist literary criticism explores the social relationships and roles of men and women. This form of literary criticism draws on the ideas of feminist theory to critique literature, considering how literature portrays and is influenced by patriarchal narratives.

The patriarchy refers to a social system where men hold the most power.

Feminist literary criticism examines a number of elements of a text including;

• 'Gendered' language and symbols.
• Stereotypical or unconventional portrayals of female characters.
• How the gender of a reader can affect their response to a text.

This form of criticism also acknowledges how traditional literature and its production, has been shaped by men. In response to the patriarchal tradition of literature, feminist literary criticism highlights older, 'forgotten' texts by female writers and re-examines classic texts by male writers with a feminist perspective.

A history of feminist literary criticism

Feminist literary criticism as we know it today emerged during the second wave of feminism . However, texts which contribute to feminist literary criticism can be dated back as far as Geoffrey Chaucer 's tex t 'The Wife of Bath' i n his collection of stories The Canterbury Tales (1392) .

In 'The Wife of Bath', the narrator, Alison, is portrayed as a strong-willed woman who subverts traditional expectations of femininity.

Additionally, there are early stirrings of feminist literary criticism during the first wave of feminism. For instance, in her 1929 novel , A Room of One's Own, Virginia Woolf argued that a woman needed to control her own space and finances to be a successful writer.

In 1968, Martha Weinman Lear published an article in the New York Times titled 'The Second Feminist Wave'. This article originated the wave metaphor which categorises feminism into four waves .

The first wave of feminism is marked by the suffragette movement, beginning in the early 20th century. The key focus of this wave was to obtain equality between men and women through the right to vote.

The second wave of feminism began in the early 1960s and lasted until the late 1980s. This wave centred on the legal obstacles to gender equality, such as workplace or reproductive rights.

The third wave of feminism began in the early 1990s and continued until the 2010s. Third-wave feminism expanded the issues the feminist movement worked to address, for instance, intersectionality became a key part of third-wave feminism.

The fourth wave of feminism emerged in the early 2010s. While the fourth wave continued to tackle issues such as legal equality and intersectionality , it focused heavily on sexual violence against women.

Intersectional feminism is an approach to feminism that understands how the intersecting identities of individual women impact the oppression they face.

During the second wave of feminism, feminist theorists began to critique the dominance of male perspectives in literature, focusing on the representation of women in literature, and the works of female authors.

Important works published during this period include:

• A Literature of Their Own (1977), Elaine Showalter.
• The Madwoman in the Attic (1979), Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar.
• New Directions for Black Feminist Criticism (1980), Deborah E. McDowell.

In his lecture, 'The Classical Feminist Tradition' , Paul Fry divided the history of Feminist Literary Criticism into two waves. 1

The first wave of feminism is the earliest stage of feminist literary criticism, acting as the foundation for feminist literary theory. This school of thought centred on the treatment of women by men, highlighting the stereotypical presentation of women by male authors.

In John Steinbeck 's Of Mice and Men (1937), the character of Curley's Wife is presented in a stereotypical way. She is the only female character in the novella and mainly acts as a plot device, rather than an individual. Her lack of individuality and independence is portrayed through her not having a name, only being known as the wife of Curley.

Second wave

The second wave focused on gynocriticism. Gynocriticism provided a new, female-led, framework for literary analysis, creating a new space for the study of women writers.

Gynocriticism is a term that refers to the study of woman's writing. The term was coined by American feminist and literary critic Elaine Showalter (1941- ) in her work A Literature of Their Own (1977) .

This school of thought focused on three key areas;

• The place of women writers in literary history.
• The treatment and portrayal of women in literature.
• Discovering a literary canon of works written by women.

The third wave of feminism influence d intersectional literar y criticism. This wave recognised the limitations of second-wave feminism, particularly its emphasis on gender and sex when examining the treatment and portrayal of women in literature. Issues such as race, sexuality, and class were brought to the forefront of the third wave of feminist literary criticism, as theorists acknowledged how an individual is defined and impacted by more than their gender.

Intersectionality is a theory that takes into account people's overlapping identities to understand the interconnected systems of oppression they face. Although the concept of intersectionality originated in the field of gender studies, it is now present in many fields including literary studies.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie highlighted In her 2009 TEDtalk, 'The danger of a single story', how when she started writing stories at 'about the age of seven' all her characters 'were white and blue-eyed'. This was because 'the characters in the British books' she read represented white children and their experiences, rather than children of colour. Because all Adichie had read as a child were books 'in which characters were foreign' she 'had become convinced [that books] had to have foreigners in them'.

Fourth wave

The fourth wave of feminism began utilising literature, the news, and social media, to promote feminist causes and highlight issues such as sexual harassment and gender-based violence. This wave of feminism continued to influence feminist literary criticism's examination of the treatment of women in literature and influenced the contents of texts in the feminist literary discourse.

Louise O'Neill's fiction novel Only Every Yours (2014) presents a dystopian future in which women are controlled by a patriarchal society that values them as objects rather than individuals. Within this novel, O'Neill explores how beauty standards are used to sexualise and control women, limiting their independence and freedom.

O'Neill went on to write Asking For It (2015). In her 2021 paper 'Introducing Rape to High School and College Students: An Analysis of Asking for It', Giulia Mastrontoni argued that this text could be utilised to encourage students to 'better understand the insidious implications of rape representations, and […] to question their standpoint on rape in a safe, educational environment.'

Strengths and weaknesses of feminist literary criticism

There is no set list of strengths and weaknesses for any form of literary criticism. However, it is important to acknowledge that no literary criticism or theory will cover every element of a text.

Feminist literary criticism is just one lens to view a text through. It is most effective when you are considering issues of gender and gendered oppression. You may consider these issues in regard to the gender of the author, the presentation of characters based on their gender, or both.

It is important to acknowledge that a feminist lens doesn't directly consider issues such as race, class, or sexuality. Therefore, an intersectional approach may develop your critical analysis.

Feminist criticism technique in writing

When applying a feminist lens to texts in a literary context, you consider how gendered social constructs have influenced the way in which the text is written.

Here are five key questions which can act as a base when analysing literature through a feminist lens:

• Is the author, and/or narrator, male or female?
• What are the roles of the female characters in the text? Are they minor, secondary, or main characters?
• How are women characterised in the text? Do you notice any stereotypes?
• Does the author use feminine or masculine imagery in the text? If they do, why have they used this imagery?
• What is the social and cultural context that the text was written in? How has this influenced the author's attitude toward women?

Feminist literary criticism examples

Now that we have an understanding of what feminist literary criticism is and its history, let's take a look at three key ideas in feminist literary criticism:

• Simone de Beauvoir's argument that men perceive women as 'the Other'.
• Elaine Showalter's three phases in women's writing.
• Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar's Madwoman Thesis.

De Beavouirs 'the Other'

In her 1949 work The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir highlighted how women are characterised as 'the Other' by men. As 'the Other', women are perceived in opposition to men, rather than as individuals with the ability to control their own lives.

Simone de Beauvoir was a 20th-century French philosopher who lived from 1908 to 1986.

Although The Second Sex was not written as a work of literary criticism, the idea of women as 'the Other' is present in feminist literary criticism, highlighting the impact de Beauvoir had on this school of thought.

'The self' and 'the Other' is a philosophical theory that argues that through the existence of 'the Other', something which is not yourself, you are able to recognise and acknowledge your own individual existence.

The concept of 'the Other' was introduced by German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel in his 1807 work The Phenomenology of Spirit. In this text, Hegel argued that the self-consciousness only becomes aware of itself when it recognises a separate self-consciousness (an 'Other). Typically, 'The Other' is dissimilar, or the opposite, of the self.

Showalter's three phases

In her 1977 work A Literature of Their Own, Showalter set out three phases present in the female literary canon:

The 'Feminine' Phase: In this first phase female writers typically wrote in a similar way to men, and wrote under male pseudonyms. Female writers chose to do this in order to have their works published and critically respected. Due to this decision, works written during the 'Feminine Phase' didn't present the role of women in society in an overtly critical way. Instead, these works portrayed traditional patriarchal expectations of women.

The 'Feminist' Phase: This phase occurred after the writers of the 'Feminine Phase' had paved the way for women in literature. Writers from the 'Feminist Phase' began to critique the traditional roles of women in society. Works from this phase typically addressed how women were oppressed by patriarchal social structures, and the effect this oppression had.

The 'Female' Phase: Writers from the 'Female Phase' are less impacted by their sex. This phase began once there was no longer a need to prove the right of women writers to put forward their gendered perspective. Although some women writers still focus on gendered issues in their work, this is no longer a dominant theme in the female literary canon.

Gilbert and Gubar's Madwoman Thesis

In their 1979 work, The Madwoman in the Attic, Gilbert and Gubar highlighted that female characters in works written by men are either defined as an angel or a monster. Essentially, female characters could fit with social expectations, and act in a pure, submissive manner, or they could rebel.

This limited portrayal of female characters by male writers was reflective of the limited opportunities for women in society. Patriarchal standards enforced a lack of individuality in women, they were expected to become wives and mothers, and if they did not fit within these roles they were not deemed 'useful' or worthy.

Gilbert and Gubart argued that the limited opportunities available to women led to 19th-century female writers expressing their frustration through the trope of 'the madwoman'.

In Emily Brontë 's Wuthering Heights (1847) the character of Cathy Earnshaw steadily loses her sanity after marrying Edgar Linton and falling pregnant. At the novel's opening, Cathy is a wild and free character, who subverts traditional expectations of femininity. Once she abides by the gendered expectations placed on her by society, Cathy loses her individuality and her mind.

To an extent, the madwoman represented the patriarchal perception of the woman as a monster, as she was uncontrollable and rebellious. However, the madwoman also embodied the rage of these 19th-century female writers, representing their need to break free of patriarchal oppression. This work demonstrated the presence of a distinct female literary canon, with unique traits and themes.

A feminist literary critique of Mrs Dalloway (1925)

Let's apply a feminist lens to Virginia Woolf's 1925 novella Mrs Dalloway. We'll consider each of our five questions to create the foundations for a feminist literary critique. Try to expand beyond these and form an argument of your own!

Mrs Dalloway follows the character of Clarissa Dalloway over the course of a single day as she prepares for her party in the evening. Over the course of the novella, Virginia Woolf utilises the narrative voice of multiple characters, providing insights into their own lives and perspectives.

Question one: Is the author, and/or narrator female?

The author of Mrs Dalloway is Virginia Woolf, a woman who lived from 1882 to 1941. Woolf's work arguably fits into Showalter's 'Feminist' Phase , as Woolf presents the role of women in a critical light.

There are multiple narrators in Mrs Dalloway, as the novella uses a stream-of-consciousness narrative structure . The novella's protagonist , Clarissa Dalloway, is one of these narrators, giving her a level of autonomy over the way in which she is portrayed to the reader.

Stream-of-consciousness is a narrative mode that represents the continuous flow of an individual's mental processes.

Question two: What are the roles of the female characters in the text? Are they minor, secondary, or main characters?

Clarissa Dalloway is the text's protagonist or main character. She has a dominant role in the novella's narrative, with the story centring on the events of a single day, leading up to her party in the evening. The other female characters in the text are secondary characters; Sally Seton, Elizabeth Dalloway, Doris Kilman, and Lucrezia Warren. Elizabeth Dalloway and Lucrezia Warren's narrative voices feature within the novella.

Question three: How are women characterised in the text? Do you notice any stereotypes?

Each of the female characters in the text is influenced by social constructs and expectations of femininity. There is a strong sense that Clarissa's life has been shaped by social expectations of womanhood and femininity. For instance, Clarissa's decision to marry converges with early 20th-century social constructs of womanhood which placed women within the home, in the role of housewife and mother. Once she decided to marry, Clarissa became 'Mrs Richard Dalloway'.

By referring to Clarissa as an extension of her husband, Woolf highlights the lack of individual identity many women held in marriage.

Question four: Does the author use feminine or masculine imagery in the text? If they do, why have they used this imagery ?

Woolf utilises both feminine and masculine imagery in the text, a key example being Peter's 'pocket-knife'.

The pocket-knife acts as a phallic symb ol, Woolf employs it to allow the audience to infer Peter’s attraction and need for dominance. The pocket knife becomes a symbol of masculinity during Peter and Clarissa's first exchange. Despite knives holding connotations with danger and Peter’s own pocket knife being large, Clarissa dismisses it. This indicates that she is not intimidated by Peter’s masculinity and presence.

As he tilts his pen-knife towards her green dress, Clarissa simply responds by opening her scissors, a yonic symbol, the similar connotations with danger held by scissors allowing Clarissa to match Peter’s encroaching masculinity with her femininity.

Phallic and yonic symbols refer to the male and female anatomy. A phallic symbol will resemble or represent a penis while a yonic symbol will resemble or represent a vagina.

Question five: What is the social and cultural context that the text was written in? How has this influenced the author's attitude toward women?

Mrs Dalloway was written and published during the mid-1920s. At this time, women in the United Kingdom over the age of thirty had only just obtained the right to vote through the 1918 Representation of the People Act. It wasn't until 1928 that women in the United Kingdom could vote at the same age as men.

Although gendered expectations were steadily changing, as represented by the women's suffrage movement and its success, traditional expectations still held a strong social influence. The majority of women were expected to become housewives and mothers, supporting their husbands rather than acting as independent entities. While Virginia Woolf subverted these expectations, as a successful author who earned her own living, she would have still been impacted by these traditional ideas.

The women's suffrage movement in the UK was a movement to fight for women's right to vote. This movement began in the late 19th century and succeeded in its mission with the 1918 and 1928 Voting Rights Acts.

Feminist Literary Criticism - Key takeaways

• Feminist literary criticism draws on the ideas of feminist theory to critique literature.
• This form of literary criticism explores how literature portrays and is influenced by patriarchal narratives.
• Elements of a text of feminist literary criticism may consider include; 'gendered' symbols and language, the portrayal of female characters, how the gender of the reader influences their reading of a text.
• Feminist literary criticism first emerged during the second wave of feminism , however, ideas relevant to feminist literary criticism are present during feminism's first wave.
• Important ideas in feminist literary criticism include: Simone de Beauvoir's argument that men perceive women as 'the Other'. Elaine Showalter's three phases in women's writing, Sandra Gilbert and Susan Guabar's Madwoman Thesis.
• Paul Fry, The Classical Feminist Tradition , 2012.

Frequently Asked Questions about Feminist Literary Criticism

--> what is the meaning of feminist criticism.

Feminist literary criticism is a form of criticism that draws on the ideas of feminist theory   to critique literature, considering how literature portrays and is influenced by patriarchal narratives. 

--> What are the characteristics of feminist literature?

Feminist literature will typically present the social role of women in a critical light, examining how women are influenced by patriarchal standards and expectations. 

--> What is the first example of feminist criticism?

Feminist criticism as an independent school of thought was defined by Elaine Showalter's A Literature of Their Own  (1977). This work pioneered the school of thought known as gynocriticism  which provided a new, female-led, framework for literary analysis.

However, earlier works, such as Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex  (1949), also contributed to feminist criticism.

--> How do you write a feminist literary criticism?

When viewing literature through a feminist lens you should consider either the gender of the author, the presentation of characters based on their gender, or both. 

Some key questions you should answer are; 

• Does the author use feminine or masculine imagery in the text? If they do, why have they used this imagery? 

--> Who are some key thinkers in feminist literary criticism?

Key thinkers in feminist literary criticism include; Simone de Beauvoir, Elaine Showalter, and Sandra Gilbert & Susan Gubar. 

Test your knowledge with multiple choice flashcards

Who was Judith Butler?

Which of these fields did Butler not have a significant impact on?

Which of these colleges / universities did Butler not attend?

Your score:

Join the StudySmarter App and learn efficiently with millions of flashcards and more!

Learn with 100 feminist literary criticism flashcards in the free studysmarter app.

Already have an account? Log in

What theory did Butler create?

Gender performativity.

True or false? The theory of gender performativity was first coined in Butler's book Gender Troubles  (1990).

Define gender performativity.

This theory argues that sex does not determine our behaviour and identity. Instead, our gendered identity is formed by learned behaviour from social expectations of femininity and masculinity. Therefore, gender in itself is a performance. 

Which of these fields did Butler  not have a significant impact on?

Queer theory.

True or false? Butler was raised by  Christian parents.

False! Butler's parents were both of Jewish descent, they attended Hebrew school during their childhood.

of the users don't pass the Feminist Literary Criticism quiz! Will you pass the quiz?

How would you like to learn this content?

Free english-literature cheat sheet!

Everything you need to know on . A perfect summary so you can easily remember everything.

Join over 22 million students in learning with our StudySmarter App

The first learning app that truly has everything you need to ace your exams in one place

• Flashcards & Quizzes
• AI Study Assistant
• Study Planner
• Smart Note-Taking

Sign up to highlight and take notes. It’s 100% free.

This is still free to read, it's not a paywall.

You need to register to keep reading, create a free account to save this explanation..

Save explanations to your personalised space and access them anytime, anywhere!

By signing up, you agree to the Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Policy of StudySmarter.

Entdecke Lernmaterial in der StudySmarter-App

Privacy Overview

• EssayBasics.com
• Pay For Essay
• Write My Essay
• Homework Writing Help
• Essay Editing Service
• Thesis Writing Help
• Write My College Essay
• Do My Essay
• Term Paper Writing Service
• Coursework Writing Service
• Write My Research Paper
• Assignment Writing Help
• Essay Writing Help
• Call Now! (USA) Login Order now
• EssayBasics.com Call Now! (USA) Order now
• Writing Guides

Feminist Criticism (Essay Sample)

Feminist criticism.

Feminist criticism presents different perspectives on how literature discusses issues of gender, focusing on education, financial and social difference in a male dominated society. Feminist criticism revolves around power relations between the two genders. Feminist criticism reviews how females are represented in different texts and literature and how such representation is insufficient. 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.   Different feminist views attempt to highlight how traditional literature have undervalued women presenting stereotype images about women.

Some literature creates a critical platform that shows a balanced view of women. Some literature urges the transformation of language to remove inequalities that cause linguistic distortion of humanity. Many feminist critics dry their framework from a combined approach using different movement and the sequence from the historical perspective up to the modern society views of feminist.

The earliest form of feminism is the liberal feminism, where gender inequality was commonly practiced; women were stereotyped with their role being of wives and mother. Some writers label feminism as bourgeois feminism where liberal feminist strived for equality with men in a male dominated society. Liberal feminist focus on how women ranges are portrayed in media, such critics promote autonomy, assertiveness, and final independent.  Such notion has resulted in a new type of stereotype of modern women who is seen as someone who has it all. One of the major criticisms of liberal feminism assumes that radical changes can be possible in a male-dominated social structure. Hence, to be equal means women need to be like men that are not possible.

Radical feminism is a type of feminism critics that celebrates women and their difference from one.  Radical feminist seems to have extreme views stating that feminist solution of to develop communities different from men. Radical feminism view media to be headed by male producers, and they operate to benefit the patriarchal society. Radical feminism assumes that women are good and can work without competition from male counterparts seems to be an illusion. A radical feminist believes that the solution for women position cannot be solved isolation instead feminism should be viewed from a cultural perspective and creating spaces for feminine voices.

The other framework where feminist criticism draws their argument is from a socialist perspective where they believe that women’s position includes analyzing class and economic condition of women is the key element. Social feminist advocate for the elimination of class and gender and women should have right to participate in paid labor and men should have domestic responsibilities. Similarly, socialist feminist view media as an instrument that presents both capitalist and patriarchal society as something natural.

Socialism feminist is concerned about how the media construct feminism and who benefits from such construction. Feminist criticism is a strategy for knowledge reconstruction because they are concerned about the stereotypical representation of genders. Feminist criticism tries to answer several questions like whether the author perpetuates traditional female stereotypes and to what extent do the text support those views.

Feminist criticism highlights unknown, values of women writers and giving them recognition and create an environment where women’s creativity is realized and appreciated. Much of feminist critics focus on discovering and analyzing the literature of women authors hence there are many varieties of feminist ideas.

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Feminist Literary Criticism — Feminist Criticism Example: Kate Chopin’s The Awakening

Feminist Criticism Example: Kate Chopin’s The Awakening

• Categories: Feminist Literary Criticism Literary Criticism The Awakening

About this sample

Words: 4059 |

21 min read

Published: Jul 27, 2018

Words: 4059 | Pages: 9 | 21 min read

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Verified writer

• Expert in: Literature

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

3 pages / 1243 words

3 pages / 1138 words

1 pages / 2189 words

4 pages / 1709 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Feminist Literary Criticism

Abortion has been a controversial and hotly debated topic for decades, with strong opinions on both sides of the issue. One of the most fervently argued points against abortion is that it is considered murder. This essay will [...]

Fairy tales have been a popular form of storytelling for centuries, with their magical elements and moral lessons captivating audiences of all ages. One such fairy tale that has gained widespread popularity is the animated film [...]

Actors and athletes play a crucial role in society, entertaining and inspiring millions of people around the world. While their professions may seem worlds apart, both actors and athletes share common characteristics that make [...]

Alice Walker’s essay on womanism is a powerful and thought-provoking piece of literature that delves into the complex intersection of race and gender. In her essay, Walker offers a fresh and unique perspective on feminism, [...]

William Shakespeare is a famous drama genius in the Renaissance of England. His works are magnificent and profound in meaning, and artistically represent colorful scenes of human life. In his works, the fate of the characters is [...]

‘It is vain to expect virtue from women till they are in some degree independent of men” (Mary Wollstonecraft). Feminism regards the role of women in a patriarchal society in which women are often subjugated and even [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free