The present essay is an attempt to explore Showalter’s feminist critical philosophy and the corresponding practice of such an innovative approach in literary feminism. It tries to reflect upon her critical theorization and practice, and recognize the credibility and aftereffect of both among contemporary authors, critics and readers. It investigates whether Showalter’s critical approach is a feminist social critique, i.e. an analysis of women writing in a patriarchal culture, or a development of a feminist aesthetics, i.e. an explanation of how writing by women discloses a distinctively female discourse. It looks into what makes her feminist criticism best and most importantly characterized, and her literary framework for the analysis of women’s literature.
Table of Contents
1. Elaine Showalter: Theory of Gynocriticism
2. The Feminist Critique and ‘le gynocritique’
Research Objectives and Topics
The primary objective of this study is to explore Elaine Showalter's feminist critical philosophy and her methodological framework known as "gynocriticism." It examines how Showalter defines the historical phases of women's literature and distinguishes her approach from traditional feminist critique, specifically focusing on the shift from studying women as readers to studying women as producers of textual meaning.
- Historical categorization of women's literature into Feminine, Feminist, and Female phases.
- Distinction between "feminist critique" (the woman as reader) and "gynocriticism" (the woman as writer).
- Analysis of the four models of gynocritic study: Biological, Linguistic, Psychoanalytic, and Cultural.
- The role of "female subculture" in challenging patriarchal literary frameworks.
- Evaluation of Showalter's contribution to establishing a distinct female literary tradition.
Excerpt from the Book
The Feminist Critique and ‘le gynocritique’
In her study of women belonging to different phases of developing feminism, Showalter found that there were no theoretical base of feminist criticism, nor she found neither any particular school in feminism of philosophy, nor any theory of feminism before 1960, which could assert its singular identity like psychoanalytic, New Critical theory had. Showalter, thus, found feminist criticism in wilderness. She developed a theory of feminist reading against American Formalism and established a carefully devised plan of action to achieve the meaning of all “ideological assumptions” of what woman in literature is /was and would be. Tracing reading and writing as two deferent strategies of creativity, she divides feminist criticism into two distinct varieties:
I) Feminist Critique-- concerned with /represents woman a reader, and
ii) Gynocrotics” la gynocritique --concerned with woman as the producer of textual meaning’, represents woman a writer.
She offers these programs for reading women in male-oriented works and female-oriented as well, and writing on all and everything regarding a particular theme-- woman. To this reading, she calls “woman as a reader”, and analysis-- performed by such reading which makes us aware ‘to the significance of sexual code’ concealed or guised in words and world of characters-- is “feminist critique”. “Its subjects include the images and stereotypes of women in literature, the omissions of and misconceptions about women and criticism, and the fissures in male-constructed literary history…exploitation and manipulation of the female audience, especially in popular culture and film…analysis of women as sign in semiotic systems.”
Summary of Chapters
1. Elaine Showalter: Theory of Gynocriticism: This chapter introduces Elaine Showalter and her foundational role in feminist literary theory, outlining her career and the historical development of her concepts regarding women's writing.
2. The Feminist Critique and ‘le gynocritique’: This chapter elaborates on the core of Showalter’s theoretical work, distinguishing between feminist critique and gynocriticism while detailing the four models she uses to categorize female creative expression.
Keywords
Gynocriticism, Elaine Showalter, Feminist Critique, Female Subculture, Literary Theory, Patriarchal Culture, Feminist Aesthetics, Women's Literature, Biological Model, Linguistic Model, Psychoanalytical Model, Cultural Model, Female Consciousness, Textual Meaning.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The work focuses on the feminist critical philosophy of Elaine Showalter, specifically her development and practical application of the theory known as "gynocriticism" within literary studies.
What are the central themes discussed in the text?
Key themes include the historical evolution of women's writing, the distinction between reading and writing strategies in feminist theory, and the structural categorization of female experience in literature.
What is the primary objective or research question of the book?
The book aims to investigate whether Showalter’s approach constitutes a social critique of patriarchal culture or a development of a distinct feminist aesthetic that explains how women's writing creates a unique female discourse.
Which scientific methodology does the author use?
The author employs a comparative literary analysis, examining Showalter's historical survey of feminist writers and her categorization of their work through genealogical and theoretical models.
What is covered in the main body of the work?
The main body details Showalter’s three-phase history of women's literature—Feminine, Feminist, and Female—and explains her four models of gynocritic study: Biological, Linguistic, Psychoanalytic, and Cultural.
Which keywords best characterize this publication?
Primary keywords include Gynocriticism, Feminist Critique, Female Subculture, and Literary Theory, reflecting the work's focus on gendered textual analysis.
How does Showalter differentiate between "feminist critique" and "gynocriticism"?
Showalter defines "feminist critique" as the study of woman as a reader, focusing on images and stereotypes of women in male-authored texts, whereas "gynocriticism" focuses on the woman as a writer and the production of textual meaning.
What does the "Biological model" represent in Showalter’s framework?
The biological model posits the female body as the source of literary and non-literary imagery, often used by late 20th-century female writers to establish a franker, more direct expression of female identity.
What is the significance of the "female subculture" in this theory?
The female subculture represents a theoretical space where female consciousness, apart from phallocentric society, develops its own unique subjects, images, and psychological dimensions.
How does Showalter's theory respond to earlier patriarchal beliefs?
Her theory challenges beliefs—such as those attributed to Rousseau or Aristotle—that women are intellectually inferior to men, by positioning women as autonomous, self-sufficient creative intellectuals.
- Quote paper
- Vali Rahaman (Author), 2010, About Elaine Showalters Theory of Gynocriticism, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/156138
