Feminist Criticism

FEMINIST
CRITICISM
FEMINIST
CRITICISM
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Feminism is the ideology promoting
equality in rights and opportunities for
women, spanning realms like education,
employment, and cultural and social
spheres. However, it's crucial to
acknowledge the diverse range of
feminist viewpoints worldwide, so that
no one description can fit all varieties of
feminist views.
First-Wave Feminism
First-Wave Feminism refers to the early phase

of the feminist movement that took place
primarily in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. It was a significant social and
political movement focused on advocating for
the rights and legal recognition of women,
particularly in the Western world.
Second-Wave Feminism
The women’s movement of the 1960s and ’70s, the so-
called “second wave” of feminism, represented a
seemingly abrupt break with the tranquil suburban life
pictured in American popular culture. Yet the roots of
the new rebellion were buried in the frustrations of
college-educated mothers whose discontent impelled
their daughters in a new direction.
Third-Wave Feminism
Emerging in the 1990s and continuing into the 21st

century, third-wave feminism is characterized by a
more intersectional approach. It recognizes that
women's experiences are influenced by factors like
race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, and more.
It also addresses issues related to body image,
sexuality, and cultural representation.
TYPES &
EXAMPLES
Radical Feminism
Liberal Feminism
Liberal feminism is one of the Radical feminism seeks to
earliest forms of feminism challenge and dismantle
and focuses on achieving patriarchal systems and
gender equality through legal traditional gender roles
and political reform entirely.
Intersectional Feminism
Marxist Feminism
Intersectional feminism recognizes that
This perspective combines individuals have multiple intersecting
Marxist analysis of class identities that can compound their
struggle with feminist theory, experiences of discrimination.
emphasizing how capitalism.
The HANDMAID’S
TALE
The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel by Margaret
Atwood set in a futuristic and totalitarian society known
as Gilead. The story is told from the perspective of
Offred, a woman forced into sexual servitude as a
"handmaid."
In this society, birth rates have plummeted due to

environmental toxins and infertility. A radical group has
taken power and treats women as property. Fertile women
like Offred are coerced into becoming Handmaids,
bearing children for the ruling class of men and their
barren wives.
Notable characters:
Offred - The protagonist and narrator. Her real name is
June. She is a handmaid assigned to the Commander and
forced into sexual servitude in the hopes of bearing a
child for him and his wife.
The Commander - Offred's master, a high-ranking

official in the totalitarian regime of Gilead. He initiates
an illicit and complex relationship with Offred. His name
is Fred.
Serena Joy - The Commander's wife. Formerly a

conservative cultural activist, now bitter and resentful of
her new status and inability to bear children. She
mistreats Offred.
Nick - The Commander's Guardian, or bodyguard. He

lives above the garage and initiates a secret, prohibited
relationship with Offred.
Feminist Literary Theories within the Novel
The Handmaid's Tale
LIBERAL FEMINIST
• Offred longs for autonomy and self-determination despite living in a society that severely restricts women's
rights
• She yearns to make choices about her own body and life, such as when she engages in secret liaisons with the
Commander to reclaim some agency over her desires
• Her memories of her past life, where she had a career, husband, and child, contrast her current reality as a
Handmaid, highlighting the loss of individuality and autonomy
• Through Offred's experiences, the story underscores the importance of upholding women's rights to self-
determination
• It warns about the dangers of denying individuals, especially women, the freedom to make choices about their
own lives
The Handmaid's Tale
RADICAL FEMINIST
• Handmaids subjected to ritualized rape during "Ceremony" where they are forced to have sex with high-ranking men in
front of wives
• Ceremony is not about pleasure or intimacy but fulfilling duty to produce children for the ruling class
• Extreme control over handmaids' bodies and lives for childbearing reflects radical feminist concerns about
commodification of women's bodies
• Ritual exemplifies systemic oppression of women under patriarchy
• Handmaids reduced to childbearing vessels, their bodies "objectified" for reproduction
• Scenario shows how Gilead's regime exploits female biology for political and ideological ends
• Reinforces radical feminist arguments about women's bodies being dehumanized and instrumentalized under male
domination
The Handmaid's Tale
MARXIST FEMINIST
• Handmaids assigned to wealthy Commanders' households to bear children
• Commanders and wives cannot conceive due to infertility
• Handmaids' bodies become means of production for reproduction
• Parallels exploitation of labor under capitalism
• Working class (Handmaids) exploited by bourgeoisie
• (Commanders/wives) for their labor power
• Those in power (Commanders/wives) control and manipulate Handmaids' bodies/reproduction for their own
benefit
• Scenario mirrors how women's reproductive capacity is appropriated under patriarchy for men's advantage
• Reinforces Marxist feminist arguments about exploitation of female biology resembling exploitation of
proletariat labor under elite capitalist classes
“Each time a woman stands up for
herself, without knowing it possibly,
without claiming it, she stands up for all
women.”
- Maya Angelou
Thankyou

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FEMINIST

First-Wave Feminism refers to the early phase

Emerging in the 1990s and continuing into the 21st

In this society, birth rates have plummeted due to

The Commander - Offred's master, a high-ranking

Serena Joy - The Commander's wife. Formerly a

Nick - The Commander's Guardian, or bodyguard. He

• Ritual exemplifies systemic oppression of women under patriarchy

• Handmaids reduced to childbearing vessels, their bodies "objectified" for reproduction

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