I.

FEMINIST APPROACH
II. QOUTE was an American memoirist, popular poet and civil rights activist. She
published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is
credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years.
III. Feminist meaning: an advocate of women's rights on the basis of the equality of
the sexes; a person who supports feminism. Feminism: the advocacy of women's rights
on the basis of the equality of the sexes.
IV.
Feminist literary criticism looks at literature assuming its production from
a male-dominated perspective. It re-examines canonical works to show
how gender stereotypes are involved in their functioning. It examines
(and often rediscovers) works by women for a possible alternative voice
How is the feminist approach applied in literature?
Like feminism itself, feminist literary theory asks us to consider the relationships
between men and women and their relative roles in society. Much feminist literary
theory reminds us that the relationship between men and women in society is often
unequal and reflects a particular patriarchal ideology.
What is the foocused of feminist approach?
Feminist criticism focuses on how literature has represented women and relationships
between women and men, drawing attention to how women have been marginalized and
denied a voice of their own in much of canonical literature, and to how literature reflects
society's prevailing ideological assumptions with regard to gender and power.
What is the purpose of using the feminist approach in analyzing literary works?
Feminist literary criticism recognizes that literature both reflects and shapes stereotypes
and other cultural assumptions. Thus, feminist literary criticism examines how works
of literature embody patriarchal attitudes or undercut them, sometimes both
happening within the same work.

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6) The Feminist Approach

Feminist criticism is concerned with the impact of gender on writing and

reading. It usually begins with a critique of patriarchal culture. It is
concerned with the place of female writers in the cannon. Finally, it seeks
to present a feminine theory of or approach to texts. Feminist criticism is
political and often revisionist. Feminists often argue that male fears are
portrayed through female characters. They may argue that gender
determines everything, or, in contrast, that all gender differences are
imposed by society, and gender determines nothing.
In A Literature of Their Own, Elaine Showalter argued that literary
subcultures all go through three major phases of development:
 The Feminine Stage involves "imitation of the prevailing modes of the
dominant tradition" and "internalization of its standards."
 The Feminist Stage involves "protest against these standards and
values and advocacy of minority rights...."
 The Female Stage is the "phase of self-discovery, a turning inwards
freed from some of the dependency of opposition, a search for
identity."
Advantages

 Increased peoples awareness of the gender inequalities.

 Shows how gender roles are socially constructed.

 Made the role of women and gender relations visible.

Advantages: Women have been underrepresented in the traditional cannon,

and a feminist approach to literature redresses this problem.

Disadvantages

 It is a biased view against men. Some men do not exploit women and see themselves as
feminists.
 Hypocritical. They are degrading men just like what they believe men are doing to them.
 Ignores the changes that are happening such as the Equal Pay Act and Free Will.

Disadvantages: Feminists turn literary criticism into a political battlefield

and overlook the merits of works they consider "patriarchal." When
arguing for a distinct feminine writing style, they tend to relegate women's
literature to a ghetto status; this in turn prevents female literature from
being naturally included in the literary cannon. The feminist approach is
often too theoretical.
Last: “The connections between and among women are the most feared, the most problematic,
and the most potentially transforming force on the planet.” –Adrienne Rich, poet
Isulti:
For example, feminist critics may claim that certain male writers address their readers as if they
were all men and exclude the female reader. Feminist literary criticism helps us look at literature
in a different light. It applies the philosophies and perspectives of feminism to the literature we
read
They may argue that gender determines everything, or, in contrast, that all
gender differences are imposed by society, and gender determines nothing.
Women have been underrepresented in the traditional cannon, and a
feminist approach to literature redresses this problem.