Feminist Literary Theory
What is Feminism?
In the simplest
terms, feminism is
the theory that
women and men
should be equal
politically,
economically, and
socially.
But are they??
% WOMEN IN THE LABOUR
FORCE
% OF WOMEN IN SENIOR
MANAGEMENT OCCUPATIONS
Male Dominated
Occupations
Some Food for Thought…
On average, total income for women was $30,100 in 2008.
During the same period, total income for men increased
by 7% to $47,000.
In 2010, the median weekly earnings of full-time working
women was $669, compared to $824 for men.
In 2010, the median weekly earnings for women in full-time
management, professional, and related occupations was
$923, compared to $1,256 for men.
Catalyst Research, 2012
The Early Feminist
Movement
• The First Wave of feminism occurred during the late 19th
century and mostly featured middle – upper class
women pioneering for suffrage and political equality.
• Women in western Europe, namely Britain, were
campaigning for the right to vote and this movement
made it’s way to North America.
• Famous Canadian suffragettes include Nellie McClung,
Henrietta Muir Edwards, Emily Murphy, Louise McKinney
and Irene Parlby, who together came to be known as
"The Famous Five.” Canadian women were granted full
federal voting rights in 1918 and the right to run for
federal office the following year.
The Feminist Movement
The Second Wave feminism occurred
from the 1960s to the 1980s and was
concerned with gender inequality in laws
and culture. The movement encouraged
women to understand aspects of their
own personal lives as deeply politicized,
and reflective of a sexist and
patriarchal structure of power.
A motto of this movement was “The
Personal is Political”
The Feminist Movement
• This wave of the feminist movement featured
many prominent social and political activists who
fought to equalize women’s place in society. A
few notable feminists of the latter 20th century
include:
• Gloria Steinem – American journalist and
former playboy bunny who founded Ms.
Magazine.
• Betty Friedan – author of The Feminine
Mystique, a research novel credited with
initiating this second wave of feminism.
Feminist Issues
Feminists commonly
campaign on issues
such as:
– reproductive rights
– domestic violence,
– maternity leave,
– equal pay,
– sexual harassment,
– sexual assault and
discrimination.
Gender as a Social
Construction
One element of feminist theory is the idea
that gender is a social construction and has
very little to do with any predetermined
biological state.
Feminists argue that in
the early 19th-century
the rapid move toward
commerce and
industrialization forced
women and men to
occupy “separate
spheres.”
Separate Spheres
Men entered the
“public sphere” of
politics and
business, while
women inherited the
“private sphere” of
domesticity and
care-giving.
Division of Labour
Women are
naturally inclined
towards housework
and not aggressive
or ambitious enough
for other pursuits.
Really?!
A “Good Wife’s Guide”
So What is Feminist Literary
Theory?
Feminist literary theory is concerned
with the impact of gender on reading
and writing.
Feminists see Western societies as
being patriarchal (male dominated)
thus influencing the literary canon.
The Male Canon
Until recently
literature was almost
exclusively works by
males focusing on
male experiences
and tended to
stereotype women
into traditional
gender roles.
Women Subordinate to Men
In works written
before the 20th
century, for example,
feminist critics, often
discover that women
are portrayed in
social positions that
are subordinate to
men.
Stereotyping of Women
Women have been
stereotyped significantly
in Western literature.
What are some of female
stereotypes that are
perpetuated by today’s
media.
Vocabulary used in Girl Toy
Commercials
Vocabulary used in Boy Toy
Commercials
Milk “Does the Body Good”,
but what else is it saying?
Stereotyping of Women
Female stereotypes are
clearly reinforced in today’s
media.
What do you think the
following magazine
advertisements are really
selling?
Have NO Fear, YOUR man is
here!
More Sex….
Misogynistic View of Women
Misogyny is the hatred of
women. According to feminist
theory, misogyny can be
manifested in a number of
ways, including sexual
discrimination, violence
against women and the sexual
objectification of women.
“Evil”
Eve
Feminists saw that…
While many male authors, such as Dickens
Wordsworth, Hawthorne, and Thoreau
were “canonized” very few women were
seen this way.
Feminists also saw that…
In fiction,
most women
were
secondary or
insignificant
characters.
How Have Feminist Literary
Critics Responded?
Changing the Canon
Critics reread the
works in the
traditional canon
and examine any
hidden sexual
bias in the work.
Rediscovering Women
Writers
Rediscover the
women writers
who were
ignored during
their own
times.
Resisting Patriarchy
Examine literary
texts by female
authors to show how
they consciously and
unconsciously resist
the patriarchal
culture in which they
are written.
Important Feminist
Novelists and Poets
Virginia Woolf
Writers such as Virginia
Woolf are associated
with the ideas of the first
wave of feminism. In
her book A Room of
One's Own, Woolf
"describes how men
socially and psychically
dominate women".
Margaret Atwood
• Important Works
The Edible Woman
Surfacing
Life Before Man
The Handmaid's
Tale
Cat's Eye
The Robber Bride
Sylvia Plath
• Important Works
The Colossus
Cut
Ariel
Crossing the Water
Winter Trees
Daddy
Lady Lazarus
The Bell Jar
Important Feminist Terms
Essentialism
The belief that
attributes like gender
are inborn features
of being (biological
determinism) as
opposed to social
constructions.
Gynocriticism
A term coined by
feminist critic Elaine
Showalter for a
woman-centred
critical practice that
privileges women’s
analyses of womanauthored texts.
Patriarchy
A system (social,
political, economic)
dominated and
controlled by men,
modeled after family
structures in which
the father rules the
household.
Oppression
Oppression is a type
of injustice; the
inequitable use of
authority, law, or
physical force to
prevent others from
being free or equal.
Men maintain their
dominance by
oppressing women
Objectification
Objectification is
being
dehumanized by
being
reduced solely to a
sex object.
Misogyny
An ideology similar
to racism or antiSemitism, existing to
justify and reproduce
the subordination of
women by men
through oppression
and violence.
The “Other”
We create the “other”
by marginalizing a
group, characterizing
its differences as
flaws, thus making it
inferior. Women have
frequently been cast
as the “other”
throughout history.
Infantilization
The process by which
women are stereotyped
to appear child-like and
innocent, condescended
by their male
counterparts and
reduced to an infantile
state or condition. Thus,
empowering the men.
Sisterhood
The notion that women, who live
in a patriarchal society, will form
bonds with other women to
overcome their oppression.
They share a common
experience and support each
other.
Phallocentrism
Focusing on
men or on a
male viewpoint,
where
difference is
determined
according to
possession of
or lack of a
phallus.
Questions Feminist Critics
Ask about Literature
Feminist Questions
How are
women’s lives
portrayed in
the work?
Feminist Questions
Do the women
in the work
accept or
reject
traditional
gender roles?
Feminist Questions
Does the work
challenge or
affirm
traditional
ideas about
women?
Feminist Questions
What are the
relationships
between men
and women?
Feminist Questions
To what
extent are
female figures
infantilized?
Feminist Questions
Does the work
reinforce or
undermine
patriarchal
ideology?
Feminist Questions
To what extent is a character’s life option
constrained by gender?
Feminist Questions
Does the work
offer the
possibility of a
sisterhood as a
mode of
resisting
patriarchy?
Look at the following
advertisement and think of
the terms you could you
use to analyze through a
feminist critical literary
lens.
Thanks for Paying Attention Again!