Feminist literary criticism: A feminist approach to the text

Abstract

Feminism stands as a socio-political movement committed to eradicating gender-based discrimination across political, cultural, and economic domains. Its fundamental purpose lies in the vigilant protection of women's rights through legal avenues. Concurrently, feminist literary criticism constitutes a rigorous form of literary analysis grounded in feminist principles, feminist theories, and ideologies. The core objective of feminist literary criticism is the meticulous examination of the structure and essence of women's texts. It endeavors to illuminate the often-overlooked contributions of female writers in the annals of literary history and scrutinize the nuanced portrayals of female characters within literary works. This analytical framework adeptly blends feminist ideology with established literary theories. The present article commences by elucidating the concept of “feminist literary criticism” as a rigorous methodological approach in literary analysis. Subsequently, it delves deeply into the sophisticated literary techniques associated with feminist literary criticism, offering profound insights into the multifaceted roles of women as both readers and writers within the realm of literature.