A study of mariama bas so long a letter and flora nwapas one is enough. Dec 24, 2006 whats more, just because they wear the tulle doesnt mean theyve drunk the koolaid. Feminist reconstruction of christologytypology oxford. Feminist empiricists and standpoint theorists think that feminist criticism will allow an elimination o f bias views about women in science witt, 2004. Lisa tuttle has defined feminist theory as asking new questions of old.
In presenting the feminist theory to the class we analyzed the three articles, wo. She along with luce irigaray, julia kristeva and various other feminists are part of what is called french feminism, not by their fact of being born in france, but by them being sharing the ideas of feminism propagated by feminists in france in 1960s, who have been highly influenced by the works of jacques derrida, jacques lacan, michel. Some feminist critics seek to interpret the works of male authors, with particular attention to women characters, in order to explore the moral, political and social restrictions. Abstract feminism as an assertion of womanhood, a demand for the recognition of the potentialities of women and a call for granting women equal.
The feminist figures are artificially high because they use very broad definitions of rape and let the questioner rather than the victim decide whether there was a rape or not. Gender theoryqueer theory gender theory useful because greek idea of the divine is. Here is what they dont tell you about feminism and. Please see information at the end of this document. The epic, mahabharata, for example, refers to a time when there was no concept of marriage. It is concerned not only with the role of women in myth, but in how and why they are thus presented. The first international feminist guide to the myths, goddesses, gods, and heroines, this book outlines the mythological system of a particular culture, naming the major myths involving women and explore the meanings of these stories from a feminist point of view. Therefore, in determining that lewis wrote a complete and viable mythology that lives inside narnia and affects its people, those specific characteristics all must pertain to the narnian stories and determined fit within. Apr 18, 2018 the song of achilles, madeline millers reimagining of the iliad that positioned the love story between achilles and patroclus centre stage, was both a bestseller and won the 2012 orange prize. The feminist movement was at its peak in the 1970s and female writers and critics were demanding their rights to be heard in a patriarchal literary field moi 22. Feminist theory is founded on three main principles ropershuilman, 2002. Interrogating antigone in postmodern philosophy and criticism, s.
Controversial ucla archeologist marija gimbutas argues that the world was at peace when god was a woman by jacques leslie june 11, 1989. The song of achilles, madeline millers reimagining of the iliad that positioned the love story between achilles and patroclus centre stage, was both a. How to use feminist literary criticism pen and the pad. Literary criticism, approaches and theories free download as powerpoint presentation. Mythcriticism is an interpretative approach to literature which may be used in conjunction with other approaches and reading techniques. Introduce students to the basic tenets of feminist, marxist, psychological, and mythological literary theory analyze a work read in class using basic questions from a variety of theories time. It uses the principles and ideology of feminism to critique the language of literature. Mythological and archetypal approaches rutgers university. Socialist feminism is open to criticism from a variety of angles. Critical methodology a feminist literary critic resists traditional assumptions while reading a text. An analysis of the use of medusa in the feminist revisionist poetry of ann stanford and rachel blau duplessis. Feminist literary criticism may bring in tools from other critical disciplines, such as historical analysis, psychology, linguistics, sociological analysis, and economic analysis. Or a written study, evaluation and interpretation of a work of literature.
Feminist criticism has, in many ways, followed what some theorists call the three waves of feminism. Feminist literary criticism also known as feminist criticism is the literary analysis that arises from the viewpoint of feminism, feminist theory, andor feminist politics. Revision mythmaking is a strategic revisionist use of gender imagery and is a means of exploring and attempting to transform the self and the culture or, in other words, to. With many feminist adopting the idea that freudian theory based female sexual identity around the thought of passivity and, in particular, penis envy ramsey, 2000, p.
For one thing, there is a lot of statistical illiteracy among journalists, feminist academics and political leaders. I will then provide a close reading of each text through the lens of feminist theory and the historical accounts discussed in the fantham text. Mythological and archetypal approaches from handbook of. Includes bibliographical references and indexes the mythology of the ancient near east iris furlong egypt. Feminist myths as someone who works in the media, i am well aware that certain myths get started and have a life of their own. Carter, who called this the eat up your broccoli school of criticism, managed to hide out in medieval studies, which she loved. Examining mythology in the chronicles of narnia by c. Understanding the feminist theory in greek mythology kibin. Jun 28, 2016 an informed analysis and evaluation of a piece of literature. Patriarchy is a system of social organization that traces descent through the male line and bestows privilege and power to males on the assumption of their physical and intellectual superiority over women. Men are taught in this society to be macho, emotionless leaders, and to never show weakness, such as being sad and therefore crying as a result of that sadness. In these works, smith exhorts a powerful feminist theory of what she calls relations of ruling, and she sets out her own approach, which she calls insti tutional ethnography, as a means for building knowledge as to how the relations of ruling operate from the standpoints of the people participating in them. However, readerresponse criticism can take a number of different approaches.
Myths and truths about feminism villanova university. He, in an experiment in criticism, creates a checklist of sorts for deciding if stories fit the elusive myth category. Indian mythology is a new medium of choice for feminist. The two most frequently cited studies are the 1985 ms. Wilmer, audrone zukauskaite 2010 show summary details subscribe or login to access all content. Often scholars limited to analyzing femalecharacters as seen through maleperspective. Most often, women from mythology who showed feminist tendencies were painted as evil and often defiled as prostitutes or troublemakers. Aristotle 384322 bc holds that the essence of a thing is to be identi. I will begin each chapter with my feminist interpretation of the ancient work in the form of a short summary. It was invented by conjecturing far beyond what available facts will permit, guided by a political and sexual agenda, and validated by intuition. A study of dramatic form and its relation to social custom 1959. Feminist research should do more than critique, but. Setonwilliams the hebrew god and his female complements athalya brenner greece barbara smith slav mythology julia vytkovskaya celtic goddesses. Feminist philosophy of religion is a more recent development within western philosophy that poses feminist questions about religious texts, traditions, and practices, often with the aim of critiquing, redefining, or reconstructing the entire field in light of gender studies.
Theoretical strengths for weaknesses for approach analysis of. This research guide will assist you in finding sources for feminist literary criticism. The implications of structuralist analyses for feminist hermeneutics, in athalya brenner ed. In this essay i address the creation of the infamous gorgon as a monster by traditional patriarchal narratives, before analysing the ways. A working definition a mythcritical approach generally uncovers or identifies manifestations of mythology in a literary workwhether as the creation of an original myth, as the appropriation of a traditional mythological figure, story, or place, or in the form of allusionsand uses these mythological elements to aid. Key concepts hegemonic masculinity patriarchal dividend. We said feminist fairy tales, not fractured fairy tales. The feministnew age idyllic goddess theory is not an intellectuallyrespectable hypothesis. This mother of all factoids is based on a fallacious feminist study commissioned by ms.
Pdf feminist film theory download full pdf book download. This school of thought seeks to analyze and describe the ways in which literature portrays the narrative of male domination by exploring the economic, social, political, and. Archetypal literary criticism is a type of critical theory that interprets a text by focusing on recurring myths and archetypes from the greek arche, beginning, and typos, imprint in the narrative, symbols, images, and character types in literary works. Yet myth criticism in general and feminist myth criticsim in particular have been attacked as too homogenizing, promoting a false universality of identity. We said feminist fairy tales, not fractured fairy tales would be unfortunate for women to revise these fairy tales with the sole intention of disrupting the binary gender construction. One in four women in college has been the victim of rape or attempted rape. Feminist literary criticism is used to explore the inequalities, social injustices and abusive messages directed toward women within patriarchal societies and cultures. Socialist feminists ague patriarchy and capitalism are separate systems of oppression. There is no original or primary gender a drag imitates, but gender is a kind of. The feminine character as portrayed by karnad in nagamandalaand and jennifer lynch in hisssis not the stereotypical woman found in contemporary writings.
When a critic attempts to judge the value of a work of art or literature, he can be said to have evaluated the work. Another critic might evaluate a poem in terms of its form. Feminist criticism may also look at intersectionality, looking at how factors including race, sexuality, physical ability, and class are. Newly hatched chickens, bits of eggshells still clinging to their tails, will dart for cover when a hawk flies overhead. This chapter presents a typology of feminist christological proposals that distinguishes among three christological positions. Feminist literary criticism is literary criticism informed by feminist theory, or more broadly, by the politics of feminism. Feminist criticism in our times has come to occupy a highly significant place in the field of theories concerned with interpretation and analysis of texts and hence it becomes a concern of every scholar interested in different critical approaches to literature to be aware of its nature. Nov 28, 2014 hindu mythology reveals that patriarchy, the idea that men are superior to women, was invented.
Literary criticism, approaches and theories mythology. Some critiques of the feministnew age goddess claims. Cheris kramerae, a feminist dictionary 1991 feminist biblical criticism, like feminism itself, comes in many types of packaging, each of which when opened reveals different ideas about the bible, its authority, and its relevance. Douglas bush, mythology and the romantic tradition in english poetry 1937. As an oppressed group, women have been unable to achieve their potential, receive rewards, or gain full participation in society. Much feminist criticism is concerned with power differentials and focuses on literary and artistic techniques that cause us to conclude one thing or another about the.
A feminist sexual politic an ethics of mutual freedom 16. Indeed, carter was one of these writers, and one should regard her work as a product of, and contribution to, the feminist movement of the late 20th century. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. As an acknowledged form of literary criticism, it dates back to 1934 when classical scholar maud bodkin published archetypal patterns in. Here is what they dont tell you about feminism and sexuality. And the modern day feminist reading of these women from mythology has provided us with an alternative history of our traditions. Plenty of girls stray from the script, say, by playing basketball in their finery, or casting. Contemporary feminist biblical criticism can trace its roots to the 1895 publication of the womans bible by elizabeth cady stanton who, along with her collaborators, condemned the bibles use as a weapon that legitimated the oppression of women. Hindu mythology reveals that patriarchy, the idea that men are superior to women, was invented. Nov 06, 2016 when the term feminist text comes to mind in regard to literature, we typically think of a novel with a strong female lead. Short stories for strong girls, amazon is an anthology of stories featuring strong heroines. Theoretical strengths for weaknesses for approach analysis.
The stories can also be interpreted from other perspectives, but for each story a case can be made that it supports feminist principles or is illustrating the inequality that women experience. Philosophy, feminist literary criticism and the difference 24 feminism is held, a feminism that is able to permeate all those areas where it is applied. This paper studies the patriarchal and matriarchal aspects of greek and roman mythology, and examines and compares todays patriarchal culture with its origin. Some have looked at a story or play from a moral stance, considering how values are represented in a text. Feminist literary criticism the new york public library. Feminist criticism may also look at intersectionality, looking at how factors including race, sexuality, physical ability, and class are also involved. The secondwave of feminism broadened the issue towards the demand for gender equality. In her recent book on feminist criticism,crossing the doublecross1986, elizabeth a. A critic deploying readerresponse theory can use a psychoanalytic lens, a feminist lens, or even a structuralist lens. Peace through crosscultural feminist symbols and myths55 international journal on world peace, octoberdecember 1988, pp. Meese remarks that the prescriptive feminist criticism identified by cheri register in this book represented the first assertion of feminist critical authority.
Karen hollinger provides an accessible overview of womens representation and involvement in film, complemented by analyses of key texts that illustrate major topics in the field. Radical feminism claims womens oppression originates in sexuality. At its most basic level, readerresponse criticism considers readers reactions to literature as vital to interpreting the meaning of the text. Feminist film studies is a readable, yet comprehensive textbook for introductory classes in feminist film theory and criticism.
Women are also exploited as a lowwage and expendable reserve army of labor. Feminist criticism feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings. The feminist companion to mythology by carolyne larrington. A number of these myths are promoted and disseminated by feminists and can be found in the book who stole feminism. Feminist revisionist mythology is feminist literature informed by feminist literary criticism, or by the politics of feminism more broadly and that engages with mythology, fairy tales, religion, or other areas. Feminist revisionist mythology tends to fulfill at least one of these goals.
The literary criticism is a concept, formed on the basis of critical analysis and primarily estimates the value and merit of literary works for the presence or quality of certain parameters of literary characteristics. Karnad gives to rani a spiritual power that would border on postmodern feminist perspectives. Difference feminism burst through into feminism at the end of the 1970s. Since ancient times, readers have debated and critiqued literature from a variety of perspectives.
Women have something valuable to contribute to every aspect of the world. Feminist theory of myth is one newer way of looking at old stories that forces us to reconsider things always taken for granted. Women, madness, and the responsibilities of feminist criticism, in. Viking, 1959, joseph campbell recounts a curious phenomenon of animal behavior. Briefly, feminist criticism aims to reinterpret literature from a female point of view. Joseph campbell, the hero with a thousand faces 1949. Marxist and socialist feminists root gender inequality in capitalism. The purpose of my research concerning the super heroine wonder woman is to identify the circumstances under which the comic was created, why its creator was set on using the medium of. Drawing on the theories discussed in chapters one and two will allow me not. Theory of myths, frye suggests a conceptual means of drawing individual and apparently unrelated archetypal imagesthe fundaments of psyche and cultureinto a coherent and ultimately hierarchical framework of mythoi, one organizing not only individual literary.
Mary shelleys frankenstein, a predominately male oriented novel. By entitling the third essay of anatomy of criticism archetypal criticism. Feminism only liberates women at the expense of men. Within margaret atwood and carol ann duffys body of work, both authors use feminist revisionist mythology to reclaim womens voices that classical mythology mistreated or left out altogether.
Feminist philosophy of religion stanford encyclopedia of. Feminist criticism useful for highlighting how downright different the grecoroman world is when it comes to gender ideas. The researcher, mary koss, handpicked by hardline feminist gloria steinem, acknowledges that 73 percent of the young. Feminism, womens movements 2 in this light, we suggest that there is an urgent need to revisit and reinvent feminist theorising and practice in ways that combine critical understanding of the past with our current struggles, and that create theories both inside and outside the academy to support movement praxis. An idea presented before its time, prescriptive criticism was effectively silenced by a feminist community bent on coexistence and. As a social movement, feminist criticism highlights the various ways women, in. A mythcritical approach generally uncovers or identifies manifestations of mythology in a literary workwhether as the creation of an original myth, as the appropriation of a traditional mythological.
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