Unit 6: Feminism and Gender Studies: Intended Learning Outcomes
Unit 6: Feminism and Gender Studies: Intended Learning Outcomes
Unit 6: Feminism and Gender Studies: Intended Learning Outcomes
4| Literary Criticism
6.1 Introduction
Apart from Marxist criticism, Feminist and Gender studies are also sociological approaches in
literary criticism. While Marxist explores ways in which the text reveals ideological oppression of a
dominant economic class over subordinate classes, the latter theories analyze the role of gender in
works of literature.
In the last unit of this course, we will delve into the definition and historical accounts of
feminism and gender studies which are essential knowledge in doing the literary analysis.
Pre-Activity:
6.2 Topics
6.2.1 Feminism
6.2.1.1 Feminist Literary Criticism is…
- a literary criticism informed by feminist theory, or more broadly, by the politics
of feminism.
- uses the principles and ideology of feminism to critique the language of
literature.
- seeks to analyze and describe the ways in which literature portrays the
narrative of male domination by exploring the economic, social, political, and
psychological forces embedded within literature.
- concerned with "the ways in which literature (and other cultural productions)
reinforce or undermine the economic, political, social, and psychological oppression of
women" (Tyson 83).
- looks at how aspects of our culture are inherently patriarchal (male
dominated) and aims to expose misogyny in writing about women, which can
take explicit and implicit forms. This misogyny, Tyson reminds us, can extend
https://pixabay.com/vectors/feminist- into diverse areas of our culture: "Perhaps the most chilling example...is found in
feminism-woman-s-rights-2923720/ the world of modern medicine, where drugs prescribed for both sexes often have been
tested on male subjects only" (Tyson 85).
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- Feminist criticism is also concerned with less obvious forms of marginalization such as the exclusion
of women writers from the traditional literary canon: "...unless the critical or historical point of view is
feminist, there is a tendency to underrepresent the contribution of women writers" (Tyson 84).
- Feminist critics analyze the role of gender in works of literature. Leading critic Elaine Showalter describes
two purposes of feminist criticism:
1. Feminist critique: The analysis of works by male authors, especially in the depiction of
women’s writing.
2. Gynocriticism: The study of women’s writing.
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To know more about Marxist Criticism, please watch a short clip entitled “The Three Waves
of Feminism” through this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWXc7qAlrbQ
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6.2.1.6 How to Write a Feminist Analysis
A feminist criticism is a careful analysis of the feminist issues, represented in a text which are
basically concerned with the images of the female characters and their role in the narration. There
are a number of standard aspects you can focus on, while exploring the view of the author on
women, expressed in his work.
1. Prepare sketches of the female characters. For this you need to single out all the information
the narrator gives us about them – their background, childhood, sexuality, work, and outlook
on the world. The better you get to know the characters, the easier it will be to draw
conclusions about them.
2. Compare and contrast the female heroines to their male counterparts. Their opposition is of
vital importance for feminist criticism. While contrasting them, it is recommended to take into
account the historical period of time, depicted in a text, and decide whether the relationship,
shown between the male and female characters, was typical for that time or not, and, probably,
indicate the reasons for this. What is more, it can help you learn the views of the writer on the
ideal situation with women, as it can give you a key to understanding the female characters.
3. Analyze the conversations between men and women, their attitude to each other and their
overall role in the book. Make sure you examine the views that men and women in the book
express concerning females.
All in all, the more detailed and argumentative your analysis is, the better impression it will
produce on the readers. Therefore, examine various aspects and questions, since it will help you
get a complete picture of the piece.
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About Marriage
Conclusion
Louise was an example of an average housewife who was not allowed her own identity and
freedom. I believe Kate had connection with the story and the main character. When Louise felt a
brief moment of sadness of her husband’s death and then have it replaced with happiness, this reveals
how truly Kate felt when she heard the news of her husband’s death. Kate felt restrained in her
marriage, even though she truly loved her husband, she was not happy. Even though, "The Story of
an Hour" is a fiction story, it speaks loud about the life of women in the late 19th century.
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6.2.2 Gender Studies and Queer Theory (1970s-present)
6.2.2.1 Gender(s), Power, and Marginalization
Gender criticism is an extension of feminist literary
criticism, focusing not just on women but on the construction
of gender and sexuality, especially LGBTQ issues, which gives
rise to queer theory. Gender criticism suggests that power is not
just top down or patriarchal—a man dominating a woman; it
suggests that power is multifaceted and never just in one
direction.
Queer Theory
Queer theory is a term that emerged in the late 1980s
for a body of criticism on issues of gender, sexuality,
SOURCE: https://gws.uic.edu/academics/courses/gws-
and subjectivity that came out of gay and lesbian scholarship
breadth-courses/gws-362/ in such fields as literary criticism, politics, sociology, and
history. Queer theory rejects essentialism in favor of social
construction; it breaks down binary oppositions such as “gay” or “straight”; while it follows those
postmodernists, who declared the death of the self, it simultaneously attempts to rehabilitate a subjectivity
that allows for sexual and political agency. Some of the most significant authors associated
with queer theory include Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Judith Butler, Michael Warner, and Wayne
Koestenbaum (Encyclopedia of Postmodernism, in Credo Reference).
Gender studies and queer theory both explore issues of sexuality, power, and marginalized
populations (woman as other) in literature and culture. Much of the work in gender studies and queer
theory, while influenced by feminist criticism, emerges from post-structural interest in fragmented, de-
centered knowledge building (Nietzsche, Derrida, Foucault), language (the breakdown of sign-signifier),
and psychoanalysis (Lacan).
A primary concern in gender studies and queer theory is the manner in which gender and
sexuality is discussed:
"Effective as this work [feminism] was in changing what teachers taught and what the students
read, there was a sense on the part of some feminist critics that...it was still the old game that was being
played, when what it needed was a new game entirely. The argument posed was that in order to counter
patriarchy, it was necessary not merely to think about new texts, but to think about them in radically new
ways" (Richter 1432).
Therefore, a critic working in gender studies and queer theory might even be uncomfortable with
the binary established by many feminist scholars between masculine and feminine:
"Cixous (following Derrida in of Grammatology) sets up a series of binary oppositions
(active/passive, sun/moon...father/mother, logos/pathos). Each pair can be analyzed as a hierarchy in which
the former term represents the positive and masculine and the latter the negative and feminine principle"
(Richter 1433-1434).
In-Betweens
Many critics working with gender and queer theory are interested in the breakdown of binaries
such as male and female, the in-betweens.
For example, gender studies and queer theory maintains that cultural definitions of sexuality and
what it means to be male and female are in flux: "...the distinction between "masculine" and "feminine"
activities and behavior is constantly changing, so that women who wear baseball caps and fatigues...can be perceived
as more piquantly sexy by some heterosexual men than those women who wear white frocks and gloves and look
down demurely" (Richter 1437).
Moreover, Richter reminds us that as we learn more about our genetic structure, the biology of
male/female becomes increasingly complex and murky: "even the physical dualism of sexual genetic
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structures and bodily parts breaks down when one considers those instances - XXY syndromes, natural sexual
bimorphisms, as well as surgical transsexuals - that defy attempts at binary classification" (1437).
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Like Marxist, Feminist and Gender studies are also sociological theories in literary criticism.
- Feminist criticism analyzes the role of gender in works of literature. It has two purposes: a)
the analysis of works by male authors, especially in the depiction of women’s writing; and
b) the study of women’s writing.
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- Feminist criticism is influenced by the three waves of feminism.
- Gender studies and queer theory both explore issues of sexuality, power, and marginalized
populations (woman as other) in literature and culture.
- There are typical questions which you can use as guide in doing literary analysis using
feminist and gender lens.
Congratulations! You are now done with all the lessons in ENG 20 – Literary Criticism! 😊
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
EVALUATION #6
Name: _________________________________________ Program, Year & Section: ______________
Professor: _______________________________________Date of Submission: __________________
1. Explain the basic tenets of the following literary theories: (5 pts. each = 10 pts.)
1.1 Feminist theory; and
1.2 Queer theory.
2. Using Venn Diagram, compare and contrast Marxist and Feminist literary approaches. (10
pts.)
3. When analyzing a text using feminist lens, do we need to consider the historical context of a
story? Justify your answer. (5 pts.)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Form a group with four (4) members.
2. Look for a story with gender-related theme written by a Filipino author.
3. Evaluate the story using any of the following: Feminist, Gender or Queer theory.
4. Create a 5-minute video presentation of your literary analysis, following the format below:
A. Introduction (Background of the story and author)
B. Synopsis of the story
C. Analysis of the story
D. Conclusion
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6.3 References
Appleman, D. (19 February 2007). Through Rose-Colored Glasses: The Feminist Lens.
https://apps.carleton.edu/people/appleman/talksworkshops/workshop_handouts/rose_color
ed/
Contreras, D. (9 March 2018). Feminist View of Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour.”
https://owlcation.com/humanities/Feminist-View-of-Kate-Chopins-Story-of-an-Hour
Dobie, A.B. (2012). Theory into Practice: An Introduction to Literary Criticism (Third Edition). Cengage
Learning
O’Connor, K. (2021). Feminist Approaches to Literature. http://writersinspire.org/content/feminist-
approaches-literature
Pagliawan, D.L. (2017). Literary Criticism: A Resource, A Guide, A Reader. Texts and Visuals
Yang, L. (n.d.). Feminist Criticism: Literature and Theory. https://fairygodboss.com/career-
topics/feminist-criticism
6.4 Acknowledgment
The images, tables, figures and information contained in this module were taken from the
references cited above.
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