Feminist Literary Criticism

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Does Hermione Granger get the credit she deserves?
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Feminist Literary Criticism
Sandra Gilbert
bell hooks

• This does not make one a femi-Nazi. Think of
  this as a lens to look through see bettermore
  deeply analytically.

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What Feminist critics do

• (1) Rethink the canonthe accepted greats of
  all-timeto include women authors, poets,
  directors, actors
• (2) Examine representations of women in
  literature and film by male and female authors
  moviemakers
• (3) Challenge representations of women as
  Other, as lack, as part of nature (whereas,
  men are part of culture and better than
  natural or emotional)
• (4) Raise the question of whether men and women
  are essentially different because of biology,
  or are socially constructed as different
  (subjugating women as worse than men in the
  important ways)

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I choose books that young men will like wont
the gals read anything already?

• Do girls like Barbies naturally or because we buy
  Barbies for them and tell them to like the dolls?
• Do boys like footballs naturally?
• Are boys more competitive naturally, having been
  hard-wired to compete for centuriesfor women,
  food, respect, status, rank?
• 241 ratio in Applied English 12
• 91 ratio in Saturday School prisons?

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Feminist criticism on Cuckoos Nest

• Women in CN are either de-masculating castrators
• Nurse Ratched
• Nurse Pillbow
• Vera Harding
• Billys mom
• Night supervisor nurse
• Chiefs mom
• or pleasure-providers
• Candy Sandy

• The Japanese nurse on the Disturbed ward is the
  only redeemable woman in the novel.

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Feminist criticism on Cuckoos Nest
What is Kesey saying about women through/with his
women characters?
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Thursday in class scholarlynx.ning.com

• Become an aware Marxist literary critic
• How does Keseys social status lifestyle
  influence his writing?
• How does your social status lifestyle influence
  your reading/interpretation?
• What systems are good for you, for the
  characters?
• What systems are bad/exploitive for you, for the
  characters?

• Become an aware Feminist literary critic
• What are your problems with this novel?
• What female qualities are shown as weak, bad,
  pathetic, negative?
• What masculine qualities are shown as strong,
  good, powerful, positive?
• How does your gender affect your
  reading/interpretation?

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A Feminist critic, such as myself, would analyze
Juno. These pictures depict her as confident,
powerful, equal, firm, at peace, dauntless,
self-sufficient, co-owning, secure, judged but
able to withstand, even bolder than her man
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A Feminist critic would analyze Twilight. These
pictures depict her as insecure, submissive,
dependent, reliant, protected, main but lesser,
sustained by, accessory, strong because of,
empowered by, obedient, even slavish
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What women want

• Immortality
• Different/unique
• Romance
• Wealth
• Super physical powers
• Protection
• Being fought over (werewolf vs. vampire fight
  over Bella)