Definition:
Feminist criticism is a type of literary criticism, which may study and advocate the rights of women. As Judith Fetterley says, "Feminist criticism is a political act whose aim is not simply to interpret the world but to change it by changing the consciousness of those who read and their relation to what they read." Using feminist criticism to analyze fiction may involve studying the repression of women in fiction. How do men and women differ? What is different about female heroines, and why are these characters important in literary history? In addition to many of the questions raised by a study of women in literature, feminist criticism may study stereotypes, creativity, ideology, racial issues, marginality, and more.
Feminist criticism may also involve reevaluating women writers--following the lead of Virginia Woolf in "A Room of One's Own."
Also Known As:
Feminist theory, feminist critique, feminism
Common Misspellings:
Femenist, femenism, fiminist, fimenism
