Literary theories - Essay Example

(Rivkin & Ryan 2004) Feminist thought and practice analyzes the production of literature and literary representation within the framework that includes all social and cultural formations as they pertain to the role of women in history. Feminist literary theory is multifaceted and dynamic. It is often described merely as the use of feminist principles and techniques to evaluate the textual constructions of gendered meaning. But feminists definitions of gender and of feminism are constantly changing and evolving.

Literary theorists have adopted and transformed these definitions, and created an increasingly complex field of study. (Keating, 2002) 1. Bourgeois: Virginia Woolf asserts that women have not been able to write because of the prevalent social conditions that acted as a barrier between them and writing. The Madwoman in the Attic is a seminal work in feminist literature theory. Here Gilbert and Gubar agree with Woolf in her view that women writers of the nineteenth century were restricted in their writing to create their female characters either to personify the ideal woman (angel) or the deviant new woman (monster).

(Gilbert &Gubar, 1979) as it was taboo for women to write in the nineteenth century it may be construed that feminist writers were regarded as an aberration of true feminity (angel) or a "madwoman" Gilbert and Gubar asserted that women writers should strive for an identity beyond this type of patriarchal dichotomy. 2. Social or Marxist feminism: This was advocated by Simone de Bouvoir.In her book The Second Sex, Bouvoir stated that social equality between the sexes would result in giving power to women.

This would also enable them to create literature of their own. As a socialist feminist she attacks the traditional stereotyping of women in male narratives. 3. French Feminism: This includes a group of feminists including Irigaray who believe that women writing should be drastic in its nature.Luce Irigaray agrees with the French