Basic Concepts of Feminist Criticism

Basic concepts of Feminist criticism:

1. Society and culture are patriarchal.

2. It prevents women from progress in both economic and creative way.

3. Women are treated merely as passive objects.

4. Women are treated as the "OTHER".

5. Women's identity is defined by men.

6. The concepts of "gender" are largely, if not entirely, cultural constructs, effected by the omnipresent patriarchal biases of our civilization.

7. This patriarchal ideology pervades those writings that have been considered great literature. Such works lack autonomous female role models, are implicitly addressed to male readers, and shut out the woman reader as an alien outsider or solicit her to identify against

So, how do you use it?

In using this theory, you would examine the patterns of thought, behavior, values, language and power in relations between the sexes.

1. Consider the gender of the author and of the characters. What role does gender or sexuality play in this work?

2. Specifically, observe how sexual stereotypes might be reinforced or undermined. Try to see how the work reflects or distorts the place of women (and men) in society.

3. Think about how gender affects and informs relationships between the characters.

4. Consider the comments the author seems to be making about society as a whole.

5. Look for the treatment of female characters or their portrayal.

6. Are the female characters made to comply with the patriarchal society or rebel against it?

7. Useful words or phrases while writing your response: Subverted or subversion, patriarchal society, suppression, oppression, gender, sex, liberation, stereotype etc.

Now read the following story 'The Story of an Hour' and examine it from feminist perspective. Your writing should be in essay format but not necessarily a five paragraph essay. You should give a general plot of the story and then start examining/ analyzing it. Focus should be on the interrelationship of characters and what/how they think. Behavior and language (selection of words by the author) are important factors too (as we had discussed in class). Also pay attention to the representation of female characters in the story. The story may require rereading as things may not be very clear after first reading.

Words requirement: 250 words

Note: your work should be original, do not copy from the internet. (Though you can research about it and mention the sites in the 'Works cited' at the end)!!!!!!!!!!!

"The Story of An Hour"

Kate Chopin (1894)

Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death.

It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences; veiled hints that revealed in half concealing. Her husband's friend Richards was there, too, near her. It was he who had been in the newspaper office when intelligence of the railroad disaster was received, with Brently Mallard's name leading the list of "killed." He had only taken the time to assure himself of its truth by a second telegram, and had hastened to forestall any less careful, less tender friend in bearing the sad message.

She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance. She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister's arms. When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone. She would have no one follow her.

There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair. Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul.

She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was