Group 2
Angela Baldwin, Logan Knight, Thomas Sietman, Amy Wilsom
3 Main Strains Of Feminist Criticism

French Feminists

American Feminists

British Feminists
French Feminists

Language

Represents world from male perspective
 Ex:





active/passive
masculine/feminine
head/heart (reason/emotion)
sun/moon
Women can choose to speak (as men) or
be “silent, the invisible and unheard sex”
Opposing Views within French Feminism

Women can develop a feminine language

Julia Kristeva says it is rhythmic and unifying
 Maternal
in nature
 Associates feminine writing with the female body


Women’s sensuality has been repressed and denied expression
Fauré and Clément, however, feel this approach
does not challenge masculine dominance
American Feminists

Literature

Analyze literary texts of men and women
rather than emphasizing language
 “abstract

philosophizing”
2 Different Groups
 Critique
of male literature
 “Gynocriticism”
“Gynocritcism”

Elaine Showalter
Study the writings of women who
produced a literature of their own
 Purposes:

 (re)study
well-known female authors
 Rediscover women’s history & culture
 Discover neglected/forgotten female writers
British Feminists

Popular Art and Culture
Regard their practice as more political
 Believe focusing on women’s texts outside of the
historical culture is dangerous

 Leads
to making generalizations without considering the
culture, ideology, race, or class of the women

British theory emphasizes knowing historical
processes in order to promote social change.
Relation to Hamlet

Showalter says that
Ophelia has a “story
of her own”
Combines French
feminist thought with a
more American
approach
 Looks at the way
literature is changed
by popular culture
over time
