Feminist Criticism

1
Feminist Criticism

• As a literary theory

2
Feminist Critical Theory

• Examines the ways literature reinforces or
  undermines the oppression of women
• Economically
• Politically
• Socially
• Psychologically

3
Economically Patriarchal concept of femininity

• Keeps women from equal access to
• leadership positions
• decision-making positions
• Still keeps women paid (believe it or not) 55 to
  80 cents for every dollar men make
• Antidiscriminatory laws are frequently
  side-stepped by giving women a different job
  title

4
PoliticallyPatriarchal concept of femininity

• disempowers women
• Frailty
• Modesty
• Timidity
• It is not feminine to
• to succeed in business
• to be extremely intelligent
• to earn big bucks
• to have strong opinions
• to have a healthy appetite (for anything)
• or to assert ones rights

5
Socially Patriarchal concept of femininity

• Accepts that men have free will
• Accepts that men act on the world
• Change it
• Give it meaning

• Accepts that women are dependent
• Accepts that women have meaning only in relation
  to men
• (ex. Mrs. Miss)

6
Psychologically Patriarchal concept of
femininity

• Equates femininity with submission
• Encourages women to accept familial abuse
• Encourages women to wait for a man to rescue them
• Encourages women to see marriage as the reward
  for correct behavior
• Accepts that womens allegiance to men always
  supersedes their allegiance to other women

7
Vocabulary

• Sex- is biologically determined
• Biological Essentialism- puts a higher value on
  male physical assets
• Physical size
• Shape
• Body chemistry
• Gender- is a Social Construction-
• men are born male not masculine
• women are born female not feminine

8
Traditional Gender Roles

• Men
• strong
• rational
• protective
• decisive
• short tempered

• Women
• weak
• irrational (emotional)
• nurturing
• submissive
• hysterical

9
The Universal He

• Inclusive he claims to represent both men and
  women but in reality is a deeply rooted cultural
  attitude which essentially ignores womens
  experience.
• Examples
• Marginalization of female authors (their themes
  not considered universal thus not fit for the
  canon)
• Medicine tested on male subjects only women
  often experience unexpected side effects

10
Good Girls vs. Bad Girls

• Madonna
• Angel
• Modest
• Unassuming
• Self-sacrificing
• Nurturing
• Never angry
• Undemanding sexually
• No needs of her own
• Domestic goddess

• Whore
• Bitch
• you know the opposite of those other things
• For women there is no in-between both are
  stereotypes neither is a real person.

11
Patriarchal gender roles are also destructive to
men

• Must never fail at anything they try
• Must be a good provider
• Must be strong
• Physically powerful
• Emotionally stoic
• Cannot cry, show fear, or pain, or sympathy for
  other men
• Only boisterous or boyish forms of male bonding
  are free of homosexual overtones

12
Check out your feelings about the following words

• Stud
• Sleeps with a number of women
• Mister
• Has maintained its meaning as a respectable
  address
• Take it like a man
• When applied to a woman is a compliment

• Slut
• Sleeps with a number of men
• Madam
• A women who keeps a brothel
• Sissy
• Started as a name for a sister
• Cowardly feminine