A Readers Guide to Contemporary Feminist Literary Criticism

by Maggie Humm

This introduction to feminist literary criticism in its international contexts discusses a broad range of complex critical writings and then identifies and explains the main developments and debates within each approach. Each chapter has an easy-to-use format, comprising an introductory overview, an explanation of key themes and techniques, a detailed account of the work of specific critics, and a summary which includes critiques of the approach. Each chapter is accompanied by a guide to the primary texts and further reading.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Uğur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feminism is a movement of life that includes in its most general definition every movement that is against gender differences and inequalities in political, sociocultural and economic terms, and aims to provide a just order through the transformation of social living Decencies, educational and scientific steps. I will not call it an ideological trend, because it is much more than feminism. When this is the purpose and scope, thought and the language used daily become the first addresses of change, the thoughts that are the starting point of separation and the behaviors, approaches and reactions that they reveal are among the issues that feminism is interested in.

Feminist literary criticism also has a very, very rich infrastructure in this sense, and the fact that feminist philosophy also has a fairly advanced infrastructure with the important support of many thinkers (men and women) makes the subject of the book very valuable.

Maggia Humm has put forward a very important work on the subject taking this into account. It gives a lot of intensity to literature readings and content analysis, and while exposing masculine discourse in the field of literature, it paves the way for creating awareness in the reader and intellectual development by putting the right discourse in front of the ideas that will cause false consciousness. I would say that the book has created itself based on the literary language of Virginia Woolf. Because he tells us about the dual reading theory that Woolf put forward in literature readings without naming names. I would say it's a pretty good step in this respect.

When we look at novels and literary works, it is possible to see the same thing in literature, just as the presence and formation of a woman in society are tried to be kept in a secondary plan. Frankly, I don't like reading literature and novels very much because of these shallow between-the-lines Decencies. Because a book is a tool that should enrich a person's world. When we foresee that the gendered patriarchal literary language creates intellectual barriers to accepting the existence of women, we will realize that we have taken one more step forward in book analysis and started reading the book in a 'realistic' way.

Feminist philosophy has a very, very important place in feminist literary criticism. This was the most important topic that caught my attention in the book. Because, unlike books dominated by masculine discourse, which normally cannot bring literature and philosophy together very much, philosophy and literature are intertwined here... The fact that philosophy is so effective is based on putting forward the masculine discourse that dominates the literary language and replacing it with the image of a woman.

Another important point in the book was how active and critically aggressive French feminist philosophy was in order to regress the patriarchal mentality. Criticizing the patriarchal mentality with reference to fascism, this trend has both exposed the political position of the patriarchy and contributed to feminist literature, as well as revealed feminist politics. I can say that it is a very exciting stance in this sense.

The book was very beautiful in every way. I hope that the person concerned will definitely read and see the language and the mentality that stands in perspective in the next literature readings... I wish you a pleasant reading.

[Amanda Rosso · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that should feel dated but it doesn't, for Humm is always clear and transparent in her methodology and intent, and regardless the actuality of the research and theoretical frameworks che chooses to examine, there's is a genuine interest in giving as an expansive and comprehensive picture as possible, highlighting the limits and shortsightedness of some perspectives and their importance nonetheless.

Her interest in hitherto marginalised strategies and practices of feminist thought and the openess with which she approaches it all, is a very refreshing and commendable practice.