English 12 / Unit 7: Literary Criticism and Analysis
7.3 Feminist Criticism
Notes
Feminist criticism examines how gender shapes the text and how women are represented, empowered or silenced.
- Questions: How are women characters portrayed? Who has power and voice? What roles does society assign to men and women?
- It also asks about women writers' access to publication, such as the Brontës' use of male pen names.
- Example: In Jane Eyre, Jane's declaration, "I am a free human being with an independent will," challenges Victorian expectations of women.
- Some critics read Bertha Mason, the "madwoman in the attic," as a symbol of women's confinement and anger.
Practice
A feminist critic asks, "Whose voice is silenced, and what does that reveal about gender roles?" This question focuses on:
Feminist criticism studies gender and power.
Jane Eyre's claim to be "a free human being with an independent will" is significant for a feminist reading because it:
Her independence challenges the era's gender roles.
Why might a feminist critic mention the Brontës' pen names?
The male pseudonyms reveal prejudice.
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