FEMINIST CRITICISM & HAMLET

Group 2Angela Baldwin, Logan Knight, Thomas Sietman, Amy Wilsom

3 Main Strains Of Feminist Criticism

French Feminists

American Feminists

British Feminists

French Feminists

Language Represents world from male

perspective Ex:

active/passive masculine/feminine head/heart (reason/emotion) sun/moon

Women can choose to speak (as men) or be “silent, the invisible and unheard sex”

Opposing Views within French Feminism

Women can develop a feminine language Julia Kristeva says it is rhythmic and unifying

Maternal in nature Associates feminine writing with the female body

Women’s sensuality has been repressed and denied expression

Fauré and Clément, however, feel this approach does not challenge masculine dominance

American Feminists

Literature Analyze literary texts of men and

women rather than emphasizing language “abstract philosophizing”

2 Different Groups Critique of male literature “Gynocriticism”

“Gynocritcism”

Elaine Showalter Study the writings of women who

produced a literature of their own

Purposes: (re)study well-known female

authors Rediscover women’s history &

culture Discover neglected/forgotten

female writers

British Feminists

Popular Art and Culture Regard their practice as more political Believe focusing on women’s texts outside

of the historical culture is dangerous Leads to making generalizations without

considering the culture, ideology, race, or class of the women

British theory emphasizes knowing historical processes in order to promote social change.

Relation to Hamlet

Showalter says that Ophelia has a “story of her own” Combines French

feminist thought with a more American approach

Looks at the way literature is changed by popular culture over time