lit criticism
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What isLiteraryCriticism?
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Literary criticism is used to
analyze the value of literatureusing many different
schools of criticism
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Schools of Criticism
form when a variety of readers andcritics hold the same assumptions
concerning an approach to literary
analysis are groups of fellow believers who
share common concerns about
reading, writing, and interpretation. Examples: Marxist, Feminist,
Cultural Studies, Psychoanalytic,
Archetypal
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A literary critic patrols the
boundaries of good writing,determining what should be
thought about a text and why,and what personal and
cultural value should beplaced on a work or works of
literature.
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Basic Questions
Does a text have only one correct
meaning?
Is a text always didactic; that is, must a
reader learn something from every text? Does a text affect each reader in the same
way?
How is a text influenced by the culture of itsauthor and the culture in which it is written?
Can a text become a catalyst for change in
a given culture?
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Each school of literary
criticism is a different
colored lens through
which to view a text. To
interpret a world ofpossibility within each
text you must becapable of seeing it in
many different ways.
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Because the various schools of
criticism ask different questionsabout the same work of literature,
they provide an abundance of
options from which readers canchoose to broaden their
understanding not only of texts butalso of their society, culture, and
their own humanity.
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By embracing literary theory,we learn about literature, but
importantly, we are also taught
tolerance for other peoples beliefs.When we oppose, disregard, or
ignore literary theory, we are in
danger of blindly accepting ouroften unquestioned prejudices and
assumptions.
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This week you willlearn to analyze
literature as aFEMINIST
literary critic.
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FEMINIST LITERARY
CRITICISMPlease refer to your handout:
- Goal
-Central Issues/Assumptions
- Historical Foundation-Questions to Ask when reading as a
feminist literary critic
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THREE TERMSYOU SHOULD
KNOW AND USE
AS A FEMINIST
CRITIC:
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patriarchal
A term used by feminist critics andothers to describe a society or
culture dominated by males; the
adjective form ofpatriarchy, a societalor social organization in which males
hold a disproportionate amount ofpower. In these societies, the male
defines what it means to be human,
including what it means to be female.
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misogyny
A term used in feminist
criticism to refer to ahatred or distrust of
women
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sexual politics
A term introduced by Kate Millettin Sexual Politics (1969)
Economic inequality and not
comforming to prescribedroles/steretypes have been the
chief causes of womensoppression and places the
patriarchy at the center of the
feminist movement.
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DisneyPrincessesvs. Disney
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How do women
in fairy tales
becomeprincesses who
live happilyever after?
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They marry princes,of course!
Princes in fairy
tales must usuallysave women fromdanger because
their perfect bridesare too daintyand/or nave to
save themselves.
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Lets begin
by lookingat Aurora
andMaleficent
fromSleeping
Beauty
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Briefly examinethe contrasting
imagery of these
two figures
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VS.
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Aurora Designed as the perfect woman at birth when
fairies give her these wonderful gifts:
Beauty: Lips that shame the red, red rose has a
soft pink complexion and bright dresses with long,
lustrous golden hair
Song: a beautiful, melodious voice
Dances barefoot in sunshine in the green
woods and converses with cute, furry animals
Obedient, nave, and passive
Raised lovingly by the three motherly fairies
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Maleficent
dressed in all black, her face a pale and hideous
shade of green; hat resembles horns of demon
Of above average height and hairless
Lives in gray castle surrounded by storm clouds
Lives among boorish, dim-witted troll-like
henchmen
Power and strength very unfeminine: threat tomasculine authority (i.e. the king)
Alone: no husband or relatives or friends
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Possible effects of the good
woman/bad woman dichotomy
Young girls aspire to be like the ideal woman(Aurora) and feel like having or using powermakes them bad (like Maleficent).
Girls believe that being weak and passive andobedient will result in a fairy tale union with aprince.
Girls will see a division between the kind andloving, and the powerful and strong withinherself, rather than seeing the way they worktogether within her to create one complete
personality.
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Now lets
look at thecharacter
Ursula fromThe Little
Mermaid as
a Feminist
Critic
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Ursula
Conclusion derived from analysis usingFeminist Literary Criticism: Women
with power are unfairly demonized.
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Power held by men makes them strong leaders
who can be trusted (King Tritan), but Ursula is
an example ofhow women are turned into
villains when they desire power.
Ursula has been cast out of the high societyAriel enjoys because she threatens the power
of the dominant males by being assertive.
Because she has no man to keep her in line,
she turns to evil and sorcery.
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Link to Ariel:
Even Ariel, the heroine of the story and King Tritansmost precious daughter, is rejected when she explores
outside the kingdom (defying her fathers command).
Tritan seeks to control his daughter by attempting to
force her to repress her desires, just as he tried tocontrol Ursula by denying her a higher social status.
HOWEVER: When Ariel needs help Prince Erik is
there to save her, and because she has allowedanother man to take control of her, King Tritan accepts
their union. Because Ursula will not allow herself to be
controlled by any man, she is killed.
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Cinderel
aand the wicked
stepmother stereotyp
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Cinderellas male-dominated (a.k.a.
patriarchal) society has conditionedher to believe that the only way she
can find true happiness in her life is
to wear a pretty dress, haveservants, and try to marry the
prince.
S h h f i th t
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So when her fairy mother grants
her wishes, these are the things
she receives.
BippityBoppityBoo!
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If the shoe fits-The stepsistersfeet were too big to
fit into the slipper
-Cinderellas daintyfeminine feet,
however, were the
perfect fit for theprince
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Theres a lot more analysis that could
be done with Cinderella. Even her
name is a form of oppression.
But we may also choose to overlook
some things in our analysisthat dontsupport our Feminist standpoint. We
ignore things that would not strengthen
our argument. This is not the BESTpolicy, though.
A E l
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An Example: The fairy godmotheris given power, but has notbeen corrupted by it (like Ursula or Maleficent).
I wouldnt want to put THAT into my FEMINIST
analysis, would I? No.
Unless, I concede (admit to) this, but in the
process make my own point.
For instance: Even though the fairy godmother is
not made hideous and evil by her power, she doesuse it to change Cinderella into something she isnt,
further perpetuating the idea that women must look
beautiful to be worthy of love.
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So remember: Do not weaken your feminist analysis
by making points that do not supportfeminism.
You can concede points, as long as inthe process you help prove your ownpoint.
Thats feminist literary criticism!!!
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Your Turn!
Think of a female character (from anystory, movie, etc.) that we have notdiscussed today, and use your notes
on Feminist Literary Criticism tocreate an analysis of that characterthat is at least one paragraph (5complete sentences) in length.
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