Feminist Criticism Feminist literary criticism is the critical analysis of literary works based on the feminist perspective.

In particular, feminist literary critics tend to reject the patriarchal norms of literature "that privileges masculine ways of thinking/points of view and marginalizes women politically, economically and psychologically," according to Paul Ady, associate professor of English at Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts. Instead, feminist critics approach literature in a way that empowers the female point-of-view instead, typically rejecting the patriarchal language that has dominated literature. Feminist Criticism analyzes text through the lens of how women have historically been portrayed in literature. It examines the political, social and economic subjugation of women in society. It further looks at how the characters, the dialogue, the events and resolution of a piece of literature can serve to either reinforce or challenge stereotypical representations of women. Oppression In many fictional stories, the main female character seeks to break away from what has restricted her or bound her to her life. In Kate Chopin's works, the female character awakens from a life-in-death existence to either physically die or to live a life she wasn't aware of before. In this new life, the female character becomes fully aware of life itself. Many female writers, like Chopin, chose to expose the injustice they had experienced in being a woman. These female writers wanted to be heard and they wanted the same rights that men had available to them. A research topic for Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" is, why was it necessary for Mrs. Mallard to die? What kind of life would she have experienced had she lived? Stereotypes The female reader wants to identify with the female character in the literary work; she wants the female character to be a role model whom she can remember and emulate. However, because both men and women have

created unrealistic female characters, this identification is often not possible. The writer creates the character he wants to see, not the character as she is. Instead of being given what she wants, the female reader is bombarded with the stereotyped female characters: the submissive or the opposite, the domineering wife, the seductress, the sex object, the prostitute or the old maid.

With this topic, the research concentrates on a particular writer and the method used to create female characters. Did this writer base his main female character on a stereotype? If so, why?

Realism and the Reader The basic assumption tied into reading is that the reader will learn from what she has read. When reading literature, the reader learns from the characters' lives as they are presented in the fictional work. The reading process becomes a dual process: The reader has to understand and make sense of what he or she has just read, and the reader has to be able to identify with the characters. The feminist critic analyzes the impact of the main female character and determines if she is realistic. In other words, is this character true to what the female reader has known through her experience?

Research based on this topic will look at the connection between the way the character is presented and the experience of the reader. Instructions

1 Consider the roles and situations of female characters. Make lists of different aspects of the female character's place in the overall story. Include anecdotal scenarios that will back up a holistic thesis. 2

Look at the relationship of female characters to each other. Examine any discrepancies that might shed light on the overall role of females in the book. 3 Review the role of female characters in relation to their male counterparts. Literary criticism has its famous set of contrasts, for example, man vs. nature, nature vs. society, that set up points of inquiry. In this case, your fundamental contrast would be woman vs. man. 4 Look at the vocational roles of women in the literature. Much of literary criticism can be applied to the workplace. Studying the work that each character does provides a great starting point for analyzing the whole of the work. 5 Consider the attitudes of characters and how their world-views contribute to the eventual outcomes in the story. The goals of characters may or may not cause outcomes. Evaluate how "powerful" each character becomes. Tips & Warnings Take notes and form detailed talking points. A large part of literary criticism is the organization of your views. Make sure your finished critique represents your thoughts in an ordered way. Instructions 1.
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1 Understand the feminist movements. Let history be your guide. Research important female figures in history and the different historical moments that really had an impact. Note what inequalities started each movement and the difficulties that were presented along the way. 2 Know the more famous feminist writers. Become familiar with their work, how it was received by the public, where and when it is used and what impact their writings had or still have today.

3 Pick up the terminology. As in any field of study, there are distinct terms that are used throughout the text and literature. Become familiar with reoccurring terms and know how they are being used in the text. 4 Categorize by the different types of feminism. There are similarities but also very important differences between national movements of America, British and French feminism. 5 Address the differences in women. Not all feminists are the same. There is considerable argument across the field when it comes to politics, social and economic beliefs and religious affiliations. 6 Make the distinction between feminist theory and queer theory. These two types of literary theory are often lumped together, even though they are quite different. Be sure you are also making the distinction yourself.