Feminist/Gender Criticism

By: Nick, Kyle, Sean

Definition of Feminist Approach

“Many commentators have argued that feminist criticism is by definition gender criticism because of its focus on the feminine gender. But the relationship between feminist and gender criticism is, in fact, complex; the two approaches are certainly not polar opposites but, rather, exist along a continuum of attitudes toward sex, sexuality, gender, and language.”

People who analyze works with feminist ideals in mind are known as feminist critics

These critics do not necessarily read gender specific pieces, but rather see the overarching effect of gender in society

History of the Feminist Movement

The Feminist movement has been in play for hundreds of years, gradually increasing in size and popularity among the female population.

This increase began largely with the support for the women’s suffrage movement in the United States.

As time passed, the movement modernized to match the needs of society, which focused more on role reversal and change than in previous eras.

History of Feminist Approach

Decades ago, literary critics began to analyze the small social injustices portrayed in literature. They realized that society heavily favored the male population.

French feminism gained much of its initial inspiration from Simone de Beauvoir’s influential book, Lé Deuxiéme Sexe (1949)

Feminist Approach

Pros

This approach shows women in a different light; this new female image is one of power, independence, and self-reliance.

The Feminist approach promoted feminist ideals among the literary community, both male and female.

Cons

Many males interpret this criticism as being sexist against their own gender

The Feminist approach can undermine the intended meaning of the poem by focusing on its literal background.

Applied Criticism

This poem analyzes the ability for influential women to pass on the movement to others, allowing the movement to continue long after they are gone

This poem depicts the mother as a lioness, in essence giving her the powerful symbol of the lion, mixed with her female ideals

The mother’s goal is to pass on her feelings about female society to her daughter, Dahlia Ravikovitch. Apparently this motion was successful, seeing how Ms. Ravikovitch is an established feminist writer, giving her the capability to extend her message to massive proportions

Works Cited

 "VirtuaLit: Critical Approaches." Bedfordstmartins.com. Web. 04 Dec. 2011. <http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/virtualit/poetry/critical_define/crit_femin.html>.

 Wollstonecraft, Mary A., and John Stuart Mill. "Feminist Literary Criticism." Assumption.edu. Web. 04 Dec. 2011. <http://www1.assumption.edu/users/ady/HHGateway/Gateway/femlitcrit.html>.