<p> FEMINIST CRTICISM – Handout By, Milana Ghadban & Sabrina Mtanos</p><p>What is feminist criticism? - A type of literary criticism, which may study and advocate the rights of women.</p><p>When and how did feminist criticism start? - Dates all the way back to when Aristotle declared, “The female is female by virtue of a certain lack of qualities.” - In 1405 Christine de Pisan declared, “God created man and woman as equal beings.” - Virginia Woolf made the biggest impact in 1929, with her book A Room of One’s Own. - “In the first place, to have a room of her own, let alone a quiet room or a sound-proof room, was out of the question, unless her parents were exceptionally rich or very noble, even up to the beginning of the nineteenth century…Such material difficulties were formidable; but much worse were the immaterial. The indifference of the world which Keats and Flaubert and other men of genius have found so hard to bear was in her case not indifference but hostility.” - Today women are a wide-ranging theoretical critic of traditional thought and social practice.</p><p>What is the cultural aspect of feminism? - Cultural feminism highlights the differences between men and women that refer to the belief that the gender differences are part of the fundamental nature of females or males and that the differences are not chosen but are part of the nature of woman or man, based on biological differences in reproductive capability. - Cultural feminism looks for ways to improve the relationship between male and female and many times the different cultures by honoring women’s unique qualities, ways, and experiences, almost always believing that the woman’s way is the better way.</p><p>What are the regional and political aspects? - Feminism is a movement that advocates gender equality for women and campaigns for women’s rights and interests. - 3 waves; 1st nineteenth century and early twentieth century, 2nd 1960s and 1970s, 3rd 1990s to the present. - Feminist movements and theories led by middle class white women from Western Europe and North America. - 1960s was the Civil Rights movement in the United States and the collapse of the European colonialism in Africa, the Caribbean, parts of Latin America, and Southeast Asia. - Since then “Post Colonial” and “Third World” feminisms have been proposed. - New Zealand was the first country in the world to give women the right to vote in 1893. - Sweden was the first independent nation to give women the right to vote. Fun Facts – Famous Canadian Feminists 1. Barbara Godard o Associate Professor of English, French, Social and Political Thought and Women’s Studies at York University o Founding co-editor of the feminist literary theory periodical, Tessera o Recipient of the Gabrielle Roy Prize of the Association of Canadian Studies (1995) 2. Linda Hutcheon o Professor of English and Comparative Literature, at the university of Toronto o Many theoretical works</p><p>WORDS ARISTOTLE CHRISTINE DE PISAN REGIONAL WOMEN COLONIALISM CULTURAL THEORIES MOVEMENT EQUALTIY FEMINISM VOTE POLITICAL HISTORICAL LITERARY RIGHTS VIRGINIA WOOLF BIBLIOGRAPHY</p><p>Lombardi, Esther. "Feminist Criticism." Welcome to About.com. About.com, Web. 16 Feb 2010. <http://classiclit.about.com/od/literaryterms/g/aa_feminist.htm>.</p><p>Oppermann, . "Expanding the Canon as Regards the Novel." Feminist Literary Criticism. Tripod, Web. 16 Feb 2010. <http://www.members.tripod.com/~warlight/OPPERMANN.html>.</p><p>Lewis, Jone Johnson. "Cultural Feminism." Welcome to About.com. About.com, Web. 16 Feb 2010. <http://womenshistory.about.com/od/feminism/g/culturalfem.htm>.</p><p>"Cultural Feminism." Spiritus-Temporis.com - History Events, Latest News, News archives. Spiritus- Temporis.com, Web. 16 Feb 2010. <http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/cultural-feminism/>.</p>