Feminism
Feminine Traits
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Masculine Traits
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Hysterical - Greek for womb meaning crazy and uncontrollable
What Feminist Critics Do:
- Rethink the canon, aiming at the rediscovery of texts written by women.
- Revalue women's experience.
- Examine representations of women in literature by men and women
- Challenge representations of women as 'Other', as 'lack' as part of 'nature'.
- Examine power relations which obtain the texts and in life , with a view to breaking them down, seeing reading as a political act, and showing the extent of patriarchy.
- Recognise the role of language in making what is social and constructed seem transparent an 'natural'.
- Raise the question whether men and women are 'essentially' different because of biology, or are socially constructed as different.
- Explore the question of whether there is a female language. and ecriture feminine, and whether this is also available to men.
- 'Re-read- psychoanalysis to further explore the issue of female and male identity.
- 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 (e.g. black or lesbian writers) is central.
- Make clear the ideological base of supposedly 'neutral or 'mainstream' literary interpretations.
Feminism analyse and constructs the role of females
Marxism comments and shows that they are there
Marxism comments and shows that they are there
- Literature reflects women's lack of power but also contributes to it.
- Critics argue that male authors give a focused view of sex and relationship.
- A feminist would say that women need to intervene and change things - literature is important.
- Female authors also use stereotypes - they are also suppressed themselves.
- Texts are based on the assumption that the reader is male.
- Women stereotypes either positive or negative, but in the point of view of men.
- Passive women are virtuous.
- Active women are selfish and dangerous.
- Positive stereotypes - cute but helpless, unselfish angels.
- Negative stereotypes - seductresses.
- Men in power are actually dangerously weak behind the masculinity.
- Feminists say out attitudes are not criticised. These assumptions are dangerous because they are implicit therefore feminists are concerned about language and how things are described.
Lady Macbeth characteristics (Macbeth):
- Greedy
- Manipulative
- Devious
- Ambitious (obsessed)
- Capacity to be like a man
- We are sympathetic towards Macbeth because he was tricked by women
Daisy characteristics (Gatsby):
- Minimalist
- Her voice is not of substance
- Only wants money and power
- It's from Nick's point of view
- Greedy
- Manipulative
- Devious
- Ambitious (obsessed)
- Capacity to be like a man
- We are sympathetic towards Macbeth because he was tricked by women
Daisy characteristics (Gatsby):
- Minimalist
- Her voice is not of substance
- Only wants money and power
- It's from Nick's point of view