FEMINIST CRITICISM

 1. What do you understand by Feminist Criticism?

Ans: Feminism raises voices for the equal rights of women. Major problem that feminists see in the society is patriarchal (domination of father/males) system. Feminists expose that women are dominated and exploited by males in the society. The society is patriarchal, so women in patriarchal society have secondary position, Feminist criticism shows all the kind of exploitation in the name of gender and say that men and women are equal and should get equal status in political, social, educational and all aspects of society. Feminist criticism questions the traditional gender roles of male and female. Sex may be biological but gender is social construct. Biological essentialism should not guide the gender role. If you have a panis you must behave like a man and if you are born with vegina you have to be female is not justice. The traditional gender roles like a man should be strong, rational, brave and out going and a woman should be soft, emotional, loving, and home sitting are traditional gender roles. Simone de Beauvoir has said that 'woman was not born but made.' These gender role were constructed by forceful practice in a long history of patriarchal system. They are not natural. Feminist breakthese roles and say that a woman also can be brave, strong, ntelligent and outgoing. 'We can do equally as men.'

The problem of feminists theory is that one feminism cannot fit in all places and all time. Another problem is that the language itself is patriarchal to talk about feminism. Historically, there are three phases of female writings (gyno-writings). The first phase writers wrote on patriarchal tradition. Second protested against patriarchy. And, the third phase celebrated female uniqueness and feminine power. However there are variations of feminism.

A traditional woman is a patriarchal woman. She is made by social rules and compulsion. She is taught or programmed to be weak, soft and weak. When a girl is born she is given a doll to play while a boy is born he is given a horse or gun to play in childhood. Boy is taught to be masculine and the girl is taught to be feminine. A woman may be a housewife, but her actual desire may be to be an officer. But women have no economic, political, social, and educational rights therefore she cannot be what she wants to be. Men are regarded as superior and women are regarded as inferior. Feminists say that such system is not fair. It must be changed.

If some women go out and behave like a boy or man they are called bad girls. If they expose sexual desire they are called bad girls. Society encourages them to be 'good girls.' To be 'good girls' means to follow patriarchal value. Feminists say that the 'bad girls' are actually not bad but the patriarchal society says so. Basically the poor women are more insulted by gender discrimination. They are just treated as labor or sex objects. Feminist criticism opposes such practice. For Feminist critic getting beyond patriarchy is necessary. For that, the women should fight for power. They should go to politics, economic independences, and should be free. Feminism overlaps with deconstruction, Marxism and new historicism because it questions and challenges the older belief and history. In traditional society men are at the center, but feminists want to break that center. French feminists are diverse. Mitchel, Christeva, Cixous Irigary are the major ones. They are of two types: materialist feminism and psychological feminism. Materialistic feminists highlight the social and economic oppression of women. Psychological feminism highlights the corrupting damage of patriarchy in women's psychology. 

Feminisms are now multicultural. The mainstream feminism of Europe and America is white-middle class feminism. However, the multicultural feminism highlights the difference of women's experiences in different feminism cultures. The suffering of white American women is different from black American women. The women of poor third world countries are different from the rich European countries. Lesbian women's problems are different from straight heterosexual women. So there are black feminism, lesbian feminism, third world feminism. Kate Millett and Michele Barret are politically active ones popularly known as political feminists.

The idea of feminism can be analyzed in literature as well. There are few women writers. Women were not allowed to read and write in the past. In present days toothey have problems. In a text the problems of the women characters are highlighted by the feminist criticism. Feminist critics show domination, exploitation, marginalization of empowerment of women in literary texts as well.