Welcome readers! This blog is written in response to the thinking activity assigned by Dr.Dilip Barad sir from Department of English, MKBU. This blog deals with various western literary theories like - Marxism, Feminism, Ecocriticism and Queer study. In this blog, I will discuss about Feminism.
Thinking Activity
Feminism
Feminism is an interdisciplinary approach to issues of equality and equity based on gender, gender expression, gender identity, sex, and sexuality as understood through social theories and political activism. Historically, feminism has evolved from the critical examination of inequality between the sexes to a more nuanced focus on the social and performative constructions of gender and sexuality. Feminist theory now aims to interrogate inequalities and inequities along the intersectional lines of ability, class, gender, race, sex, and sexuality, and feminists seek to effect change in areas where these intersectionalities create power inequity.
Anytime stereotyping, objectification, infringements of human rights, or intersectional oppression occurs, it's a feminist issue.
What does Feminism mean :-
Quite simply, Feminism is about all genders having equal rights and opportunities.
It is about respecting diverse women’s experiences, identities, knowledge and strengths, and striving to empower all women to realise their full rights. Along with that it is about levelling the playing field between genders, and ensuring that diverse women and girls have the same opportunities in life available to boys and men. Being a feminist simply means believing in equal rights for all genders. It’s not about hating men. It’s not about women being better than men. It’s not about eschewing femininity.
Definition :-
"It is an advocacy of the Political , economic and social equality of the sexes expressed especially through organised activity on behalf of women's rights and interests."
Feminist literary criticism is literary criticism informed by feminist theory , or more broadly , by the Politics of Feminism. It uses the Principles and ideology of feminism to critique the language of literature. This school of thought seeks to analyse 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. This way of thinking and criticising works can be said to have changed the way literary texts are viewed and studied. Feminist literary criticism has sought to examine old texts within literary canon through a new lens.
Feminism and Feminist criticism :-
The 'women's movement' of the 1960s was not, of course, the start of feminism. Rather, it was a renewal of an old tradition of thought and action already possessing its classic books which had diagnosed the problem of women's inequality in society, and (in some cases) proposed solutions. Some of the major works that Played significant role in the feminist movement. These books include ;
1. Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) :-
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman: with Strictures on Political and Moral Subjects (1792), written by British philosopher and women's rights advocate Mary Wollstonecraft. It is one of the earliest works of feminist philosophy.
2. Margaret Fuller’s Woman in the Nineteenth Century (1845) :-
Woman in the Nineteenth Century is a book by American journalist, editor, and women's rights advocate Margaret Fuller. The book was originally published in July 1843 in The Dial magazine. It was later expanded and republished in book form in the year 1845.
3. Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949)
The Second Sex (French: Le Deuxième Sexe) is a 1949 book by the French existentialist philosopher Simone de Beauvoir, in which the author discusses the treatment of women in the present society as well as throughout all of history. She published the work in two volumes: Facts and Myths, and Lived Experience.
This book is a wide-ranging critique of the cultural identification of women as merely the negative object, or “Other,” to man as the dominating “Subject” who is assumed to represent humanity in general; the book dealt also with “the great collective myths” of women in the works of many male writers. The Second Sex is regarded as a groundbreaking work of feminist philosophy, and as the starting inspiration point of second-wave feminism.
She says that " One is not born, but rather becomes a woman." With this quote Simone wanted to emphasise that a woman becomes a woman not because she was born as such but because she was treated as such from the time she was born. Simone believed that women should seize their lives and make their essence as there is no inherent nature that decrees that men are to be in a certain way as opposed to women.
4. A Room of One’s Own ( 1929) :-
An important precursor in feminist criticism was Virginia Woolf, who, in addition to her fiction, wrote A Room of One’s Own (1929) and numerous other essays on women authors and on the cultural, economic, and educational disabilities within what she called a “patriarchal” society, dominated by men, that have hindered or prevented women from realising their productive and creative possibilities.
In America, modern feminist criticism was inaugurated by Mary Ellmann’s deft and witty discussion, in Thinking about Women (1968), about the derogatory stereotypes of women in literature written by men, and also about alternative and subversive representations that occur in some writings by women.
Even more influential was Kate Millett’s hard-hitting Sexual Politics, published the following year. By the word - “politics” Millett signifies the mechanisms that express and enforce the relationships of power in society; she analyses many Western social arrangements and institutions as covert ways of manipulating power so as to establish and perpetuate the dominance of men and the subordination of women. In her book she attacks the male bias in Freud’s psychoanalytic theory and also analyses selected passages by D. H. Lawrence, Henry Miller, Norman Mailer, and Jean Genet as revealing the ways in which the authors, in their fictional fantasies, aggrandize their aggressive phallic selves and degrade women as submissive sexual objects.
In the years after 1969 there was an explosion of feminist writings without parallel in previous critical innovations, in a movement that in its earlier stages, as Elaine Showalter remarked, displayed the urgency and excitement of a religious awakening.
Four Waves of Feminism :-
Feminism is a broad term that refers to various points in history when women have fought for greater equalities in politics, economics and culture, and it is an ongoing battle that continues today. Because feminism covers such a broad area of history, spanning the 19th century to today, some historians since the 1960s have divided the American strands of the movement into four distinct stages, or ‘waves.’ In each supposed phase, women have geared their activism towards certain freedoms, in relation to society’s expectations of them during the time.
1. The first wave of feminism :-
The first wave of feminism spanned 1848-1920, the era of the suffragettes. Women fought violently and vociferously for the right to vote. The goal of this wave was to open up opportunities for women, with a focus on suffrage. However, the movement was focused exclusively on white women’s rights, and it wasn’t for several decades that Black women and other women of colour would gain such similar freedoms.
2. The Second wave of feminism :-
The supposed second wave of feminism covered the pivotal historical period of 1963 to the 1980s, a time when women were calling for the prescribed gender roles of men and women to be re-evaluated. Many women rejected society’s expectations on how they should look and behave, deliberately refusing to wear sexually provocative clothing or make-up. Second-wave feminism also drew attention to the issues of domestic violence and marital rape, created rape crisis centers and women's shelters, and brought about changes in custody laws and divorce law.
3. The Third wave of feminism :-
The third wave of feminism was a period of political activism that sought to expand civil rights and social equality for women. Throughout the 1990s a new branch of feminism arose in relation to postcolonialism and postmodernism. Having gained some ground in the political sphere, women of this era fought for greater individuality and power, pointing out entrenched, institutionalised sexism such as workplace harassment, pay disparities and social exclusion, challenging it head on with a series of protests and marches.
Third wave feminism was also more inclusive of race, class and gender, an attitude gender theorist Judith Butler called intersectional feminism.
4. The fourth wave of feminism :-
Fourth wave of feminism is misunderstood as a continuation of the third wave , as women continue to fight against many of the same issues around entrenched sexism. This wave of feminism focuses on gender issues around safety, pay and dignity in the Workplaces. Women today continue to fight for fair, equal treatment across the workplace and society, as well as inclusivity, particularly at a time when gender politics are at the forefront of the"gynocriticism," a form of criticism that develops a female framework for analysing works by women, emphasising personal and affectional themes. Gynocritics aim to identify feminine subject matter, unveil a female literary tradition, and delineate a distinctive feminine mode of experience.
Elaine Showalter named Gynocriticism - that is, a criticism which Concerns itself with developing a specifically female framework for dealing with works written by women, in all aspects of their production, motivation, analysis, and interpretation, and in all literary forms, including journals and letters.
What Feminist Critics do?
1. Rethink the canon, aiming at the rediscovery of texts written by women.
2. Revalue women's experience.
3. Examine representations of women in literature by men and women.
4. Challenge representations of women as 'Other', as 'lack', as part of 'nature'.
5. Examine power relations which are obtained in texts and in life, with a view to breaking them down, seeing reading as a political act, and showing the extent of patriarchy.
6. Recognise the role of language in making what is social and constructed seem transparent and 'natural'.
7. Raise the question of whether men and women are 'essentially' different because of biology, or are socially constructed as different.
8. Explore the question of whether there is a female language, an feminine, and whether this is also available to men.
9. 'Re-read' psychoanalysis to further explore the issue of female and male identity.
10. Question the popular notion of the death of the author, asking whether there are only 'subject positions ... constructed in discourse', or whether, on the contrary, the experience is central.
11. Make clear the ideological base of supposedly 'neutral' or 'mainstream' literary interpretations.
Applying Feminism in literary texts :-
1. Pride and Prejudice ( Novel) by Jane Austen :-
In "Pride and Prejudice," Jane Austen subtly incorporates feminist themes that challenge the societal norms of the time. Elizabeth Bennet, the protagonist, is portrayed as a strong-willed and independent woman who defies the traditional role of women in the 19th century.
Austen critiques the societal pressure for women to marry solely for financial stability, as seen through Mrs. Bennet's obsession with finding suitable husbands for her daughters. Elizabeth's reluctance to conform to these expectations and her insistence on marrying for love showcase feminist undertones.
Moreover, the novel explores the limitations placed on women's education and independence. Elizabeth's intelligence and wit challenge the notion that women are intellectually inferior. The character of Charlotte Lucas, who marries for financial security despite the lack of love, serves as a commentary on the limited options available to women at the time.
Overall, "Pride and Prejudice" offers a nuanced portrayal of gender roles and societal expectations, providing a platform for feminist analysis and discussion.
2. The Handmaid's Tale (Novel) by Margaret Atwood :-
"The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood explores feminist themes through a dystopian lens. The novel depicts a society called Gilead, where women are oppressed and reduced to specific roles, with the protagonist, Offred, serving as a Handmaid for reproductive purposes. Atwood critiques patriarchal structures, control over women's bodies, and the consequences of fundamentalism. The novel raises questions about power dynamics, autonomy, and the impact of societal norms on women's lives, offering a thought-provoking commentary on feminism and its relevance.
When discussing feminism, there's a compelling talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie titled "We Should All Be Feminists." I recommend listening to this insightful video.
So, Here I end my blog on the topic of Feminist criticism.
I hope that this blog will be helpful to you in understanding the theory of Feminism.
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