Feminist Criticism
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Feminist criticism is based on feminist ideology and examines how women are portrayed in literature and subjugated in society. Feminist critics note that female characters are often represented by one of four archetypes - the slave, prostitute, virgin, or prize. These archetypes marginalize women and fail to portray them as complex individuals. When applying feminist criticism, critics consider how female characters view themselves and are viewed by males, looking for stereotypical portrayals and gender power dynamics.
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Feminist Criticism
- 1. Feminist Criticism Critical Theory
- 2. Background of Feminism An ideology that examines how women are subjugated in society Feminism suggests that Western civilization is basically patriarchal, literally “ruled by the father” Women are therefore subordinate to men in this patriarchal society
- 3. Feminist Criticism Based on the Feminist movement The feminist view is that history and literature are largely written by men and studied through the male perspective
- 4. Feminist Criticism Feminist critics note the following: Women are traditionally represented by one of the following figures (archetypes): A slave A prostitute A virgin A prize
- 5. The slave The slave need not be a literal slave but just a woman who must serve her man The stereotypical housewife who is a “slave” to her family, overworked and under appreciated, is an example of this traditional representation of women
- 6. The prostitute Mary Magdalene is a good example of how the prostitute figure is an incorrect representation of women Mary is traditionally told to be a prostitute who changes her way and follows Jesus History now suggests a very different story: That Mary was merely a wealthy widow who was benefactor and believer
- 7. The virgin Society often labels women either virgin or prostitute Check out every teen movie where female characters are classified either the “good” girl or the “bad” girl rather than having any character development Ex. American Pie
- 8. The prize Every story where a boy tried to win a girl’s heart contains this idea. The short story “Araby” by James Joyce contains the female “prize”.
- 9. Why are these labels a problem? By representing women using one of the four archetypes, the author knowingly or unknowingly marginalizes the females in the work as the females are never developed into complex characters
- 10. Also a problem is… Female characters in literature are not “real” females, but only idealized representations of the male idea of females By resorting to these stereotypes again and again in literature, authors fail to consider the complexity of the female character
- 11. Applying Feminist Criticism In general, Feminist critics consider how females are portrayed in a work and how the females in a work have been understood by audiences Your can apply the following questions when using a Feminist approach to literature:
- 12. Questions for a Feminist Approach 1. What do the female characters in the work believe about themselves and their position in society?
- 13. Questions for a Feminist Approach 2.How do the male characters in the text perceive the females in the work? Consider the 4 archetypes Consider the males attitudes toward the females Consider where the males seem to feel the females belong in society
- 14. Questions for a Feminist Approach 3.Is the portrayal of males or females in the work stereotypical? Note please that unfortunately, in modern works, we treat male characters as stereotypes as well and these stereotypes for male are as limiting as the ones traditionally used for females
- 15. Questions for a Feminist Approach 4.What is the nature of the relationships between males and females in the text? Consider who has the power in the relationship Consider who controls the money in the relationship Consider the element of respect in the relationship
- 16. In closing By examining a work using a Feminist Critical Approach, we seek to discover how traditional stereotypes of males and female inform the work In doing so, we can discuss how the struggle between male and female interests in society have affected the work
- 17. Prepared for your viewing pleasure by: Liana Cote-Montminy