Feminist Literary Theory And Criticism: A Norton Reader

by Sandra M. Gilbert, Susan Gubar (Editor)

Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar’s newest collaboration, Feminist Literary Theory and A Norton Reader , is the first collection to trace the historical evolution of feminist writing about literature in English from the Middle Ages to the twenty-first century. With selections by more than 100 writers and scholars, the Reader is an ideal companion for literature surveys where critical and theoretical texts are featured, as well as a rich, flexible core text for advanced courses in feminist theory and criticism. The Reader can be packaged with the Norton Anthology of Literature by Women , Third Edition, at a substantial discount.

Genres: Feminism, Literary Criticism, Theory, Nonfiction, Writing, Literature, Feminist Studies

997 pages, Paperback

First published August 19, 2006

About the author

Sandra M. Gilbert was an American literary critic and poet who published in the fields of feminist literary criticism, feminist theory, and psychoanalytic criticism. She was best known for her collaborative critical work with Susan Gubar, with whom she co-authored, among other works, The Madwoman in the Attic (1979). Madwoman in the Attic is widely recognized as a text central to second-wave feminism. She was Professor Emerita of English at the University of California, Davis.
Gilbert lived in Berkeley, California, and lived, until 2008, in Paris, France. Her husband, Elliot L. Gilbert, was chair of the Department of English at University of California, Davis, until his death in 1991. She also had a long-term relationship with David Gale, mathematician at University of California, Berkeley, until his death in 2008.

Reviews

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an ideal text for mid-level college courses in women's/gender studies courses and others. I read select essays in the book for my second (and third) course on women's literature. I can't speak to the book in its entirety (we were assigned only ten or so of its essays/narratives), but what I did read was influential in helping me to enhance my understanding of the diversity of feminist perspectives and topics common with feminist literature. But not in the way you think!

I found it geared more towards women who were/self-identified as 'White' and 'cisgender'. Sadly, it is well within the norm as feminist literature goes (there have been improvements since it was first published, however).

If you're looking for a greater diversity with regard to race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender identity, and national origin, etc., I'd recommend looking elsewhere.
This book would be best used in counterpoint to such a work. I'd encourage college students and instructors to use books that represent a fully-diverse picture of feminist literature in sync and/or perhaps as a way of critiquing trends within feminist literature itself.

Happy (feminist) reading!

[Dena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great intro to feminist critical theory. I used this for a women's lit class in undergrad, and I'm so glad I kept it after the class was over. I've used it as a source for other papers I've written since, and I'm even now using it in a paper for a class in grad school.

The essays and excerpts cover 600 years. The earliest essay was written in 1405 (by Christine De Pizan) and the latest was written in 2005 (by Anita Helle). It includes criticism from Virginia Woolf, Adrienne Rich, Simone de Beauvoir, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Sandra Gilbert & Susan Gubar (also the editors of the text), Gloria Anzaldua, and so many others. I really recommend it as an overview of feminist criticism.

[LaShana Claude]

Norton reader with MIT being comprehensive in deliverance of materials that are inclusive, difficult to read and available for pricing by schools interested.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

All I read for the entire semester, but I loved it!

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is dense, but it's for class, so I guess what can you expect.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read certain excerpts from this book but from what I could tell, the included essays included a wide variety of opinions, interpretations and concepts from many impressive authors.