What kind of challenge does feminist litery theory pose to traditional cultural and literary assumptions?

Answer 1

In my opinion, feminist theory is limiting to some extent because it forces everything into a narrower perspective - they are basically interested in how gender has been constructed and represented through language.

Anyway the challenge they pose is thus: (source wikipedia)
(1) To develop and uncover a female tradition of writing
(2) to interpret symbolism of women's writing so that it will not be lost or ignored by the male point of view
(3) to rediscover old texts
(4) to analyze women writers and their writings from a female perspective,
(5) to resist sexism in literature, and
(6) to increase awareness of the sexual politics of language and style.

This pushes the boundaries of traditional literary assumptions because it redefines the status of woman within the narrative framework of the text. However, although it has its uses, it is complexed when applied to certain genres of literature. I'm using Post Colonial Literature as an example (it is one of the modules I took for my BA) because there are talks about woman being "doubly colonized", first by the colonial powers and then by the men themselves. Feminist literary critism is bound to question this, but it is largely superfluous because it misses out a lot of the cultural, *non-European* context that such a perspective fails to consider. Not everything must be about oppression of women, after all because in Achebe's works, for instance, although they are submissive to men, they play a massive role in continuing the culture of the African clan.

Also, if we are talking about Sylvia Plath for instance, who loves motherhood and child-bearing, to the extent where she accuses people who choose not to give birth of "unloosening their moons" to no effect... we're going to have problems because she is upholding the conventions that the feminist criticisms fought so hard against.

Answer 2

Little Challange as Feminist literary theory has become a seperate school of criticism, by allowing a segregated attitude rather than an inclusive form of criticism the challange has been removed and sadly allows female critics to be dismissed as at best niche, and at worse, well see the above response.Its the responsibility of younger academics to broaden their horizons so as time progressess literary theories are more accessible and ultisied, whatever their critical heritage, at the most appropriate point.

Until than its just an old boys network bordering on tokenism.

Answer 3

There is no challenge offered, it merely invites people to forget pre-conceived ideas and assumptions, and to look at every day situations from a different angle, from another point of view. The population need to accept that things can not be forever done in the same way our grandparents did them. Times change and people change with them.

Answer 4

the traditional literary cannon contains mostly work of white middle class men. Womens theory challanges the notion that the traditional cannon is the only literature worth reading.

Answer 5

Hmm, looks like someone's using YA for their English Literature homework.

Answer 6

This question will be debated in full on 'Talking Bollocks' on BBC2 at 12:30 on...........

Answer 7

Id answer that if I knew what it meant.

Answer 8

natnat you KNOW women just want to talk gossip all day