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Why is Feminist Criticism Important?

In the world of literature, feminist criticism is not about the rights' of women, but the representation' of women. When the feminist movement was on the rise in the 1950's and 1960's, women began to focus on literature in a new way.

For centuries, women were underrepresented in the literary canonthe lists of truly "great" worksdo to the masculine history of early literary interpretation. Being writers themselves, it was men who explored the world of writing, who developed the standards of good literature, and who judged the work of their literary brothers. It became a boys club not out of hostility, but out of habit. It began before women were taught how to read, and continued long after they began to write.

As late as the 20th century, Virginia Woolf sensed the lopsided standards of literary criticism:

"This is an important book, the critic assumes, because it deals with war. This is an insignificant book because it deals with the feelings of women in a drawing-room."

Because of the male dominance in literature, women characters were misconstrued and women authors were ignored. Early representations of women were often stereotypical, unjust, or distorted as men celebrated the ideal or scrutinized the villainy of what it meant to be a woman. Female characters first became complex under the pen of female authors. However, many of these early female authors were forced to publish under masculine pen names just to be heard. Were it not for the help of her husband, the pages of Virginia Woolf would have faded without ever being read.

The all male establishment not only ignored their words, but their genres as well. We can thank Feminist Criticism for giving literary legitimacy to diaries, journals, and letters. Our contemporary anthologies would not be the same without their contributions.

But with the gradual acceptance of women into the literary canon, and the growing appreciation for genres originally dominate by women, is feminist criticism still necessary. Some critics argue that the representation of women still needs to be challenged within some genres, and there are still some genres that deserve equal consideration within literary interpretation.

"Chic Lit", for example, is a term often used within literary circles to describe a genre written by and primarliy about women. However, the term is often used in a derogatory manner indicating that it is not 'serious' literature-the modern equivalent of "women in a drawing-room".

Yes, women have the gained the right to write, speak, and act as they choose, but we must choose to write, speak, and act wisely. As responsible members of the literary community, we are not interested in undermining the accomplishments of our fellow man, but acknowledging the accomplishments of our fellow woman.

Learn more about this author, Tricia Ares.
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