Feminist Criticism: The Ultimate One-Stop Guide for UGC NET English
Master Feminist Criticism for UGC NET English! Explore the 4 Waves, Gynocriticism, and key works by Woolf, Beauvoir, and Showalter in this one-stop guide.
Introduction: Bridging the Gap
In our previous discussions on Post-Structuralism and Deconstruction, we learned that meaning is never fixed and the "Author is Dead." But here is the critical question: Was the "Author" always a man? While Deconstruction looked at the gaps in language, Feminist Criticism looks at the gaps in history where women’s voices were silenced. Today, we move from the instability of meaning to the struggle for identity.
What is Feminism?
Feminist Criticism is a multifaceted literary approach that analyzes how literature reinforces or challenges the political, social, and psychological oppression of women.
"A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction." — Virginia Woolf (1929)
This quote is the foundation of modern feminist thought. It argues that creativity requires Financial Independence and Intellectual Space—two things denied to women for ages.
🔷The Four Waves of Feminism: A Detailed Timeline
For UGC NET, understanding the "Waves" is crucial. Here is the most comprehensive breakdown:
🌊 The First Wave (Late 19th – Early 20th Century)
Focus: Legal and Political Rights (Right to Vote/Suffrage).
Key Text: A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) by Mary Wollstonecraft.
Goal: Challenging the idea that women are naturally inferior. Wollstonecraft argued that inequality is a result of denied Education.
🌊 The Second Wave (1960s – 1980s)
Focus: Social Equality, Reproductive Rights, and Domesticity.
Slogan: "The Personal is Political."
Key Figures: * Simone de Beauvoir: In The Second Sex, she stated, "One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman," distinguishing Sex (Biology) from Gender (Social Construct).
Kate Millett: In Sexual Politics, she treated literature as a battleground of power.
Betty Friedan: Explored "The Problem that has no name" in The Feminine Mystique.
🌊 The Third Wave (1990s – 2010s)
Focus: Individual Identity, Queer Theory, and Intersectionality.
Key Concepts: * Intersectionality (Kimberlé Crenshaw): Experience is shaped by gender, race, class, and sexuality combined.
Gender Performativity (Judith Butler): In Gender Trouble, she argued gender is not what we are, but what we do (a performance).
🌊 The Fourth Wave (2012 – Present)
Focus: Digital Activism and Sexual Harassment (#MeToo).
Goal: Fighting body shaming, rape culture, and demanding workplace safety globally.
💡High-Yield Terms (UGC NET Essentials)
Gynocriticism (Elaine Showalter): The study of women as writers (Gynocritics) rather than just women as readers.
Showalter identified three phases: Feminine (1840-1880): Imitating male standards.
Feminist (1880-1920): Protesting against male standards.
Female (1920-present): Self-discovery and unique voice.
The Madwoman in the Attic (Gilbert & Gubar): They argued that 19th-century male writers represented women as either an "Angel" or a "Monster." Female writers often used "mad" characters to express their hidden rage.
Écriture Féminine (Hélène Cixous): Literal meaning "Women's Writing." It encourages writing through the body and emotions, breaking away from "Phallogocentric" (male-centered) logic.
Phallogocentrism: Describes how language and logic are inherently biased toward the male perspective.
📚Major Works & Critics (Match-the-Following)
| Critic | Landmark Work | Key Idea |
| Mary Wollstonecraft | A Vindication of the Rights of Woman | Rational education for women. |
| Virginia Woolf | A Room of One's Own | Financial & physical space for creativity. |
| Simone de Beauvoir | The Second Sex | Woman as "The Other." |
| Elaine Showalter | A Literature of Their Own | Gynocriticism & Female literary history. |
| Alice Walker | In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens | Womanism (Focus on Black Women). |
| Sandra Gilbert & Susan Gubar | The Madwoman in the Attic | Critique of 19th-century female representation. |
🍃Insight: Why it Matters
Dears, Feminist Criticism is not just a chapter in a book; it is a way of reclaiming history. It teaches us to look at the "Silence" in a text and ask, "Who is not speaking, and why?"
🔷Conclusion: Reclaiming the Narrative
Feminist Criticism is not merely a method of reading; it is an act of resistance. It is about looking at the "Canon" of English Literature and questioning why the voices of half of humanity were kept in the shadows for so long. From Mary Wollstonecraft’s plea for education to Judith Butler’s deconstruction of gender, the movement has taught us that "Woman" is not a fixed label—it is an ever-evolving identity.
As scholars and readers, our job is to listen to the silences in texts, to find the "Madwoman in the Attic," and to give her back her voice. We don't just read to understand the world; we read to change it.
The Closing Thought:
"For the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change." — Audre Lorde
This reminds us that we need our own language, our own theories (Gynocriticism), and our own "Room" to truly define who we are.
🔜Next Step for You:
Ready for the next challenge? Our next stop is Post-Colonialism, where we discuss how the "Empire Writes Back." We’ll be breaking down heavy hitters like Homi K. Bhabha, Edward Said, and Gayatri Spivak.
I have a question for you: Would you like the next post to be a Comprehensive Guide like this one, or should we focus on a PYQ-based Marathon for Post-Colonialism?
Drop your choice in the comments below! 👇
⚠️ Disclaimer
Save this post—you’ll need to return to it regularly before exam day.
This article is written for educational purposes and is based on multiple academic sources, interpreted in the author’s own words.
✍️ About the Author
ShariyaWrites believes that literature is not a burden to memorize, but an emotion to understand. Through blogs, reels, and videos, she simplifies English Literature for students who want to connect texts with life.
🔗 Explore more:
https://linktr.ee/shariyawrite
Comments
Post a Comment