A Short Introduction to Feminist Criticism and Gender Studies Short-Short Story: “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid Poem: “The English Canon” by Adrienne Su

Gender Studies and Feminist Criticism Gender Critics see a difference between gender (which is socially constructed) and sex (which is biological). This means that ideas about "typically" masculine or feminine traits and behavior are products of culture and social conditioning. Gender Critics are interested in how works of literature either support or undermine the stereotypical "standards" of masculine/feminine behavior and identity held by the culture in which they were produced.

Feminist and Gender Criticism Feminist Critics and Gender Critics have many interests in common, but Feminist Critics are more likely to be interested in literary representations of women, and in bringing attention to works by women that have historically been overlooked, while Gender Critics are interested equally in the way that both the male and female genders are presented. Feminists and Feminist Critics do NOT “hate men” OR think that works written by men or male characters are not worthy of study. On the contrary, they are addressing a historic imbalance. For hundreds of years, works by women or about women were considered “less than”, or “women’s lit only” and therefore “not as worthy” of study. Feminist Critics seek to balance this by choosing to focus on what was ignored and not taken seriously for so many years. “Equality is the goal. Feminism is a method, a means to that end.” - feminismisequality.com Also, feminism and feminist criticism are NOT monolithic. Not all feminist think the same way. There are many schools or types and traditions of feminist thought, some of which are more progressive and some of which are less so. Vocab Word! Monolithic = when describing a system or organization, this means “powerful and uniform or single-minded. Whole, not divided.”

Feminist and Gender Criticism, continued Feminist Critics work to show people that for much of history, the "literary canon" and the field of literary criticism have both been dominated by (white) men, and the seek to expose the effects of this patriarchal mindset. By looking at the ways that women's concerns and women's writing has been marginalized, they seek to address the imbalance that has traditionally persisted in favor of men's writing and men's concerns. They also seek to dismantle the notion that men’s writing and men’s concerns are somehow “universal” and women’s writing and women’s concerns are somehow “specialized”. This attitude—that men are the “default human” and women are the “other” can also be linked to what Structuralism and Deconstruction discusses when it talks about binaries in our language and the way we think that cause us to dehumanize –in sometimes subtle ways—half of the population.

Questions for "The English Canon" Refer to the poem you read for today: "The English Canon" by Adrienne Su on p. 474. What is the concern that the speaker of this poem is expressing? Support your ideas with lines from the text. How does this poem speak to some of the ideas in Feminist and Gender Criticism that we have been talking about? What do you think a Feminist or Gender Critic would say about this poem? Remember, to put it very simply, Gender Critics are interested in culturally produced ideas about what is "masculine" and "feminine." Feminist Critics are interested in how living in a society and reading a literature dominated by men affects women, and by extension, society as a whole.

Questions for Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” I would love to get a volunteer to do a dramatic reading of this story. Questions: Who is the speaker/narrator in “Girl”? To put this another way, who is talking to whom? Through the speaker and the spoken to in this story, “Girl” illustrates and important but often ignored point—that women are often the main enforcers of female gender standards on other women. That women, who are socialized to believe certain things about what a woman is/does/should be then pass on these sometimes oppressive gender notions to their female descendants. This works to illustrate that there is often no one to “blame” for patriarchal oppression and gender standards—the problem is the system that teaches both men and women that these gender standards are “right” or “natural”. This is what feminism works to unravel.

A Short Introduction to Queer Theory

A Short Definition of Queer Theory A field of critical theory that emerged in the early 1990s out of the fields of LGBT studies and feminist studies. Explores and challenges the way in which heterosexuality is constructed as “normal”. Vocab: “Heteronormativity” Challenges the traditionally held assumptions that there is a binary divide between being gay and heterosexual. Suggests sexual identity is more fluid. For example...

Queer Theory and Literature/Media Explores the ways in which literature and the media have represented queer individuals Vocab: LGBTQA = Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Asexual Explores and challenges the way in which literature and the media has limited the representations of queer individuals (LGBTQA). Explores and challenges the ways in which literature and the media have erased LGBTQ people and characters. Vocab: “Erasure”

The History... 1950s – police actively enforced laws that prohibited sexual activities between men. Sexually ‘abnormal’ and ‘deviant’. 1967 – homosexuality is decriminalised in UK (2009 for India) In parts of Africa and Asia today it is still punishable by death 1977 – World Health Organisation refers to homosexuality as a mental illness (removed in 1990) Civil partnerships legal in UK from 2004.

Judith Butler (1999) Suggests gender is not the result of nature, but is socially constructed. Male and female behaviour roles are not the result of biology but are constructed and reinforced by society through media and culture. Sees gender as a PERFORMANCE. She argues that there are a number of exaggerated representations of masculinity and femininity which cause “gender trouble.” (Any behaviour or representation that disrupts culturally accepted notions of gender.) For example...

Gender Trouble ‘Gender trouble’ is evident everywhere in both literature and mainstream media. Queer theorists suggest this is evidence of a move towards increasing tolerance of sexual diversity. Others argue that these representations simply present fringe alternatives to the “norm” of heterosexuality. That they are used because of their shock value or ‘difference’ and not due to any desire to promote actual diversity and acceptance.

For Thursday (Pass Out Reading Handout) Topics: Cultural Theory: Post-Colonialism and American Multiculturalism Homework Due: Read “Postcolonial Studies” p. 1234-1236 Read Email Handout: Sujata Bhatt “Search for My Tongue” Read “American Multiculturalism” p. 1236-1238 Read Short Story: Alice Walker “Everyday Use” p. 297 Read Poem Sherman Alexie “Evolution” p. 452