Feminist Approach to Literature

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Feminist Approach to Literature

1. Origin of the Feminist Approach

The Feminist Approach grew out of the larger social, political, and cultural movement called Feminism, which fights for women’s equality, rights, and representation.

a. Early Roots (18th & 19th Century)

  • Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) is considered one of the first feminist texts.

  • Women writers began questioning gender inequality in society and literature.

b. First Wave Feminism (Late 19th – Early 20th Century)

  • Focus on women’s right to vote (suffrage).

  • Literature started highlighting women’s struggles in marriage, society, and work.
    Example: Kate Chopin’s The Awakening.

c. Second Wave Feminism (1960s–1980s)

  • Strong influence on literary theory.

  • Critics analysed how literature portrayed women and how male-dominated culture created stereotypes.

  • Key texts:

    • Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique

    • Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex

d. Third Wave (1990s–Present)

  • Focus on identity, race, class, sexuality, and intersectionality.

  • Broader understanding of women’s voices and diverse experiences.

In short:
Feminist Literary Criticism became a recognised academic discipline in the 1960s and continues to evolve today.

2. Features of the Feminist Approach 

The Feminist Approach studies literature to understand how it portrays women, gender relations, and power structures.

1. Focus on Women’s Representation

It examines how women characters are shown in literature:

  • Are they strong or weak?

  • Are they independent or controlled?

  • Are they stereotyped?

Example:
In many Victorian novels, women are often shown as angels of the house or weak dependents.

2. Exposing Patriarchal Ideology

Patriarchy = a system where men hold power.
Feminist critics study:

  • How literature supports or challenges patriarchy.

  • How female characters are suppressed, silenced, or marginalized.

Example:
In Shakespeare’s Othello, Desdemona and Emilia have limited power and voice.

3. Recovery of Forgotten Women Writers

Feminist criticism brings attention to women writers who were ignored by history.

Example:

  • Writers like Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Mary Shelley, and Emily Dickinson gained recognition through feminist scholarship.

4. Study of Women’s Experiences & Identity

It considers:

  • motherhood

  • marriage

  • sexuality

  • freedom and restriction

  • women’s roles in society

Example:
The narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper reflects women’s mental suppression in marriage.

5. Challenging Traditional Image of Women

Feminist critics question images such as:

  • woman as mother

  • woman as weak, emotional, dependent

  • woman as object of desire

Example:
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice shows Elizabeth Bennet as intelligent, strong, and independent—challenging stereotypes.

6. Exploring Language and Writing Style

Some feminist critics argue that women have their own:

  • language

  • writing patterns

  • emotional expression

They study how female authors write differently from men.

7. Intersectionality

Modern feminist criticism studies how other identities (race, class, caste, sexuality) intersect with gender.

Example:
Toni Morrison shows how Black women face double oppression (race + gender) in novels like Beloved.

3. Feminist Critics 

1. Mary Wollstonecraft

  • Wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792).

  • Early advocate of women’s education and equality.

2. Virginia Woolf

  • In A Room of One’s Own, she argued that women need economic independence and space to write.

  • Analysed the challenges faced by women writers.

3. Simone de Beauvoir

  • Her book The Second Sex (1949) laid the foundation for modern feminist theory.

  • Famous statement: “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.”

4. Elaine Showalter

  • Founder of Gynocriticism (study of women as writers).

  • Analysed women's literary tradition.

5. Kate Millett

  • Wrote Sexual Politics (1970).

  • Critiqued patriarchy in literature and society.

6. Sandra Gilbert & Susan Gubar

  • Wrote The Madwoman in the Attic.

  • Studied how patriarchal society shaped women’s writing and characters.

7. Judith Butler

  • Contemporary critic.

  • Introduced ideas of gender as performance, not biology.

4. Conclusion

The Feminist Approach is a powerful method of understanding literature through the lens of women’s experiences and gender equality.
It reveals:

  • how women have been portrayed historically

  • how literature supports or challenges patriarchy

  • how women writers express their identities

  • how gender roles influence characters, themes, and narratives

This approach shows that literature is not just art—it is also a reflection of social attitudes and gender power structures.
By studying literature through a feminist lens, readers gain a deeper understanding of:

  • gender justice

  • women’s voices

  • equality

  • diversity in human experience

Thus, the Feminist Approach continues to reshape literature by giving space to women’s perspectives, identities, and stories.

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