Feminist English Literature

This volume, designed with the student reader in mind, is an indispensable blend of key essays in the field with specially commissioned new material by feminist scholars from the UK and the US. It includes a diversity of texts and feminist approaches, a substantial and very illuminating introduction by the editors, and an annotated list of Further Reading, offering preliminary guidance to the reader approaching the topic of gender and medieval literature for the first time. Works and writers covered include: * Chaucer * Margery Kempe * Christine de Pisan * The Katherine group of Saints' Lives * Langland's Piers Plowman * Medieval cycle drama Students of both medieval and feminist literature will find this an essential work for study and reference.

Feminism Is A Rapidly Developing Critical Ideology Of Great Promise. It Has Evolved Into A Philosophy Encompassing Diverse Fields Of Human Activity In Society. The Feminist Theory, Its Varied Articulations And Its Ramifications In A Literary Context Constitute A Significant Segment For Critical Endeavour.The Present Anthology Provides A Broad Spectrum On Feminist English Literature With In-Depth Analysis Of The Works Of Kamala Das, Kamala Markandaya, Anita Desai, Rama Mehta, Shashi Deshpande, Uma Vasudevan, Githa Hariharan, Nina Sibal, Arundhati Roy, Mary Shelley, Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, Margaret Atwood, Jean Rhys, Ellen Glasgow, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Toni Morrison And Others.The Volume Also Contains Articles On Feminist Theory, The Emerging Self Of Women In Indian English Fiction And General Appraisal Of Women Novelists As Regards Their Portrayal Of The Woman S Question.

Many women writers have secured a solid place in the literary canon, while others have remained marginalized. This reference includes alphabetically arranged entries on roughly 70 women writers whose works are widely read in English, and on some 20 related topics. While some of the writers profiled are widely known, others have not yet received as much attention. And while most of the writers are from England and America, the volume also profiles Chilean, Brazilian, Indian, South African, Australian, French, and German authors. The writers selected are feminist, in that their works have challenged traditional gender roles, explored female oppression, or critiqued patriarchal social structures. In addition to providing biographical information, the entries include interpretative summaries of major works. Each author entry includes biographical information, an extensive summary treatment of at least one of her works, an list of her other major works, cross-references to related entries, and a list of works for further reading. What distinguishes this encyclopedia from the many other volumes addressing feminist literature or literature by women is the interpretative summary in each entry. The volume closes with a list of works cited. Entries are clearly written and are accessible to high school students and undergraduates.

Presents essays by feminists of theory and literature that examine contemporary feminism and the most pressing issues of today.

K. K. Ruthven looks at the impact of Marxism, structuralism, and post-structuralism on feminist critical practice.

Feminism has dramatically influenced the way literary texts are read, taught and evaluated. Feminist literary theory has deliberately transgressed traditional boundaries between literature, philosophy and the social sciences in order to understand how gender has been constructed and represented through language. This lively and thought-provoking Companion presents a range of approaches to the field. Some of the essays demonstrate feminist critical principles at work in analysing texts, while others take a step back to trace the development of a particular feminist literary method. The essays draw on a range of primary material from the medieval period to postmodernism and from several countries, disciplines and genres. Each essay suggests further reading to explore this field further. This is the most accessible guide available both for students of literature new to this developing field, and for students of gender studies and readers interested in the interactions of feminism, literary criticism and literature.

An instant classic and eerily prescient cultural phenomenon, from “the patron saint of feminist dystopian fiction” (New York Times). Now an award-winning Hulu series starring Elizabeth Moss. In this multi-award-winning, bestselling novel, Margaret Atwood has created a stunning Orwellian vision of the near future. This is the story of Offred, one of the unfortunate “Handmaids” under the new social order who have only one purpose: to breed. In Gilead, where women are prohibited from holding jobs, reading, and forming friendships, Offred’s persistent memories of life in the “time before” and her will to survive are acts of rebellion. Provocative, startling, prophetic, and with Margaret Atwood’s devastating irony, wit, and acute perceptive powers in full force, The Handmaid’s Tale is at once a mordant satire and a dire warning.

Feminism has transformed the academic study of literature, fundamentally altering the canon of what is taught and setting new agendas for literary analysis. In this authoritative history of feminist literary criticism, leading scholars chart the development of the practice from the Middle Ages to the present. The first section of the book explores protofeminist thought from the Middle Ages onwards, and analyses the work of pioneers such as Wollstonecraft and Woolf. The second section examines the rise of second-wave feminism and maps its interventions across the twentieth century. A final section examines the impact of postmodernism on feminist thought and practice. This book offers a comprehensive guide to the history and development of feminist literary criticism and a lively reassessment of the main issues and authors in the field. It is essential reading for all students and scholars of feminist writing and literary criticism.