Feminism is a range of social movements, political movements, and ideologies that aim to define and
establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminist criticism is concerned
with “the ways in which literature (and other cultural productions) reinforce or undermine the economic,
political, social, and psychological oppression of women”. This school of theory looks at how aspects of our
culture are inherently patriarchal (male dominated) and aims to expose misogyny in writing about women,
which can take explicit and implicit forms. This misogyny, Tyson reminds us, can extend into diverse areas
of our culture: “Perhaps the most chilling example…is found in the world of modern medicine, where drugs
prescribed for both sexes often have been tested on male subjects only” .
Feminist criticism is also concerned with less obvious forms of marginalization such as the exclusion of
women writers from the traditional literary canon: “…unless the critical or historical point of view is
feminist, there is a tendency to underrepresent the contribution of women writers”. At its core, feminist
criticism concerns itself with stereotypical representations of genders. Thus, although there are many ideas
that can be considered through a feminist lens, feminist criticism is primarily concerned with a few ideas and
issues that help feminist critics examine gender politics in works, trace the subtle construction of masculinity
and femininity and understand gender politics within literary works.
Feminist criticism has, in many ways, followed what some theorists call the three waves of feminism: First
Wave Feminism – late 1700s-early 1900’s: writers like Mary Wollstonecraft (A Vindication of the Rights of
Women, 1792) highlight the inequalities between the sexes. Activists like Susan B. Anthony and Victoria
Woodhull contribute to the women’s suffrage movement, which leads to National Universal Suffrage in
1920 with the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment. Second Wave Feminism – early 1960s-late 1970s:
building on more equal working conditions necessary in America during World War II, movements such as
the National Organization for Women (NOW), formed in 1966, cohere feminist political activism. Writers
like Simone de Beauvoir and Elaine Showalter established the groundwork for the dissemination of feminist
theories dove-tailed with the American Civil Rights movement.
Third Wave Feminism – early 1990s-present: resisting the perceived essentialist (over generalized, over
simplified) ideologies and a white, heterosexual, middle class focus of second wave feminism, third wave
feminism borrows from post-structural and contemporary gender and race theories (see below) to expand on
marginalized populations’ experiences. Writers like Alice Walker work to “…reconcile it [feminism] with the
concerns of the black community…[and] the survival and wholeness of her people, men and women both,
and for the promotion of dialog and community as well as for the valorisation of women and of all the
varieties of work women perform”. The fourth wave, from around 2012, used social media to combat sexual
harassment, violence against women and rape culture; it is best known for the Me Too movement.
Feminism incorporates the position that societies prioritize the male point of view, and that women are
treated unjustly within those societies. Efforts to change that include fighting against gender stereotypes and
establishing educational, professional, and interpersonal opportunities and outcomes for women that are
equal to those for men. Feminist movements have campaigned and continue to campaign for women’s rights,
including the right to: vote, hold public office, work, earn equal pay, own property, receive education, enter
contracts, have equal rights within marriage, and maternity leave. Feminists have also worked to ensure
access to legal abortions and social integration, and to protect women and girls from rape, sexual
harassment, and domestic violence. Changes in female dress standards and acceptable physical activities for
females have often been part of feminist movements.