FEMINIST LITERARY APPROACH + EXAMPLE || QUARTER 3 WEEK 8 || English10 || MELC-Based || Aizie Dumuk

Summary

In this video, Teacher Izzy discusses the feminist literary approach, focusing on how literature portrays female representation, concerns, and values. The approach highlights how society is male-centered and gender roles are socially constructed. By examining characters and text, feminist critics challenge the male-dominated outlook in literature. Izzy uses Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 'The Yellow Wallpaper' as an example of how women's oppression by men is reflected in literary works. The video ends with a promise of more lessons on other literary approaches and encourages viewers to subscribe for future content.

Takeaways

• 📚 Feminist literary approach focuses on female representation in literature, highlighting female perspectives, concerns, and values.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Western society is described as patriarchal, where men are dominant, and women are often subordinate.
• 🌍 The concept of gender is seen as socially constructed, not biologically determined, within feminist theory.
• 🖋️ Patriarchal ideology influences what are considered great works of literature, often marginalizing women's voices.
• 📖 Feminist literary criticism involves analyzing the portrayal of both male and female characters, language, and authorial attitudes.
• 🔍 Critics focus on how male writers may exclude female readers by addressing their audience as predominantly male.
• 👩‍🏫 The goals of feminist criticism include discovering female traditions in writing and resisting the sexism embedded in mainstream literature.
• 📜 One method of feminist criticism is examining how female characters are defined, challenging the male-centered view of literature.
• 🧠 Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 'The Yellow Wallpaper' is highlighted as both a gothic horror story and a feminist parable about a woman oppressed by her husband's control.
• 🎥 The video ends with a teaser for discussions on other literary approaches, including Marxist, formalist, structuralist, and moral philosophical approaches.

Q & A

What is the main topic discussed in the video?

The main topic discussed is the feminist literary approach, which examines how literature portrays female perspectives and challenges patriarchal ideologies.

What are the three underlying assumptions of the feminist literary approach?

1. Western society is patriarchal and male-centered. 2. Gender is socially constructed, not biologically determined. 3. Patriarchal ideology influences what is considered great literature.

How does the feminist literary approach analyze a literary text?

It closely examines the portrayal of both male and female characters, the author's language and attitudes, and the societal commentary within the text.

What are the principles of feminist literary criticism?

It uses feminist ideology to critique literature, focusing on how male dominance is portrayed and exploring the forces (economic, social, political, psychological) that shape literary works.

What are the specific goals of feminist criticism?

The goals include developing a female writing tradition, rediscovering old texts, interpreting symbolism in women's writing, and resisting sexism in mainstream literature.

How does feminist literary criticism view the portrayal of women in literature?

Feminist critics argue that women have historically been presented as objects seen from a male perspective, and they challenge this portrayal by reevaluating literature with a focus on female representation.

What example of a literary work is discussed in the video?

The example discussed is 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, which is analyzed both as a gothic horror story and a feminist parable.

How is 'The Yellow Wallpaper' analyzed from a feminist perspective?

'The Yellow Wallpaper' portrays a woman forced to obey her husband, which leads to her mental suffering. It symbolizes the struggle of women under patriarchal control.

What methods are used in feminist literary criticism?

Feminist critics identify female characters, examine how they are defined, and challenge the male-centered outlook of authors.

What is the purpose of reevaluating classic literature through a feminist lens?

The purpose is to question whether society has valued male authors and their works more because of gender biases, and to reestablish the importance of female authors and perspectives.