Meep Moop

Holly Campbell
Period 6
English 12

Overview of Feminist Criticism

Feminist Criticism has expanded and grown wide since the 1970’s, having become more socially acceptable in todays age. Some primary elements that make up this criticism are “rediscovering old works by women and male writers, analyzing the language and meaning differences of ways of male and female speaking/writing, and analyzing the domination of masculine ways in languages” (Ross C Murfin- Pages 296,298). These elements have been spread out into smaller elements that create more depth in knowledge within feminist history and culture. Feminist Criticism and Feminism is a big part of literary studies and contains many brilliant women who have helped expand on the topic. Women have dedicated their careers to analyze over the works of men and of women of the past and present to gain a better understanding and new way of looking at the different ways of oppression of women. Women writers of the past are seen succumbing to the oppression of men, in their stories and in their writing styles, this is what some of these women observe. “Books by men are observed in a women’s perspective to gain knowledge and understanding of how men have held women back in the past” (Ross C Murfin- Page 296). There are many different thoughts and beliefs in feminism, all depending on what country a feminist originates from. Feminists from France “put their primary focus on language, looking at origins from which meanings derive” (Ross C Murfin- Page 296). These women have deducted that they normally use every day is decidedly dominated by male culture. American feminists focused on the “literary texts, rather than thinking abstractly about the language” (Ross C Murfin- Page 296). A British feminist standpoint was that women created their own way to gain power within their own minds. Culture of the feminist really changes the views a woman can have on feminism, even the human body can even point to the differences of woman and man. There are many smaller elements of feminist criticism that have been thought of and analyzed by many women. For example, Hélène Cixous, compared women’s sex organs to their style of writing, as men’s sex organ to their writing. She says as women’s sex organs are more spread out, as their writing is more complex and wide. Cixous also says “males unitary sex organ parallels their more straightforward style of writing” (Ross C Murfin- Page 298). She compares biological structure in males and females to causing different styles of writing. There is talk of a “feminine languages” that can be created and used by woman, to perhaps cast off oppression from the masculine dominated normal languages. Julia Kristeva believes a feminine language is “rhythmic and unifying” (Ross C Murfin- Page 297). Its theorized that if read from a males perspective, that the language would seem overwhelming and nonsensical to a man, that being a “fault of the male perspective” (Ross C Murfin- Page 297). Many women have dedicated their thoughts and careers to expanding on views on feminism and criticizing many literary works, sciences, and other male dominated subjects. Feminists all over the world have pondered many theories and created many elements of the subject of feminism. New forms of criticism will always be thought of and created throughout time and applied to many things in life.