Theory: Feminist Criticism

Literary Criticism Is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals. Though two activities are closely related, literary critics are not always, and have not always been, theorists.

Feminist Theory The extension of feminism into theoretical or philosophical discourse. It aims to understand the nature of gender inequality . It examines womens social roles, experiences and feminist politics in a variety of fields, such as anthropology and sociology, communication, psychoanalysis, economics, literary, education and philosophy.

While generally providing a critique of social relations, much of feminist theory also focuses on analyzing gender inequality, and the promotion of womens rights, interests, issues. Feminist researchers embrace two key tenets: (1) their research should focus on the condition of women in society and (2) their research must be grounded in the assumption that women generally experience subordination. Thus, feminist research rejects Webers value-free orientation in favor of being overly political-doing research in pursuit of gender equality. Themes explored in feminism include discrimination, objectification (especially sexual objectification), oppression, patriarchy, stereotyping, art history and contemporary art, and aesthetics.

Feminist literary criticism is literary criticism informed by feminist theories or politics. Its history has varied, from classic works of female authors such as George Eliot, Virginia Woolf and Margaret Fuller to cutting-edge theoretical work in womens studies and gender studies by third wave authors. In the m0st general, feminist literary criticism before the 1970s was concerned with politics of womens authorship and the representation of womens condition within literature. Since the arrival of more complex conceptions of gender and subjectivity, feminist literary criticism has taken a variety of new routes. It has considered gender in the terms of Freudian and Lacanian pschoanalysis, as part of deconstruction of existing power relations.

Manuel Arguillas portrayal of the title of Ilocano peasants is manifested in the story; Leon, the main character in the story brings his wife who was born and raised in the city. The readers see here a typical, fashionably dressed city girl thrust into rustic was of the barrio. Feminism is obvious concept and therefore, the feminist approach is a fitting approach to the story.

It started with an implied description of the city girl, citing her demure but elegant style: She stepped down from the carretela with a quick delicate grace. She was lovely. She was tall. She looked up to the brother with a smile, and her forehead was on a level of his mouth.
These lines suggest tat woman in the story is free from any inhibition, suppression and deprivation of any sort, giving the impression of equality and treatment.

In some point, his gender status may even be elevated into a certain extent. Since the feminist approach is concerned with its impact on gender, in writing and reading, it usually begins with a patriarchal culture description.
But the writer Arguilla reverses the process, emphasizing woman power from the start, although at some part on the story, the female character shows some equality of weakness: I am afraid. He may not like me.

Those words from Maria is word of doubt and fear. Feminist argue that the male fear is portrayed trough female characters its seems that Maria is in a case of genuine fear: She was really concerned about Leons father
Feminist may continue to argue that gender differences are imposed by society. Gender may determine nothing, as exemplified in the following: She sat up straight on the bottom of the cart, legs bend together at one side, hers skirt spread over them so that only the toes and heels of shoes were visible.

Typical city girl would not act, behave or even dress like that. Yet Maria is an exception in exposing her acquisition and assimilation of the culture of rural people. She even showed her likings and appreciation for Labang, the beast(Carabao) used by the country folks: she sang with gusto to the tune of the song of the narrators brother: her amazement with the stars at night, in the countryside was another point to consider. In other words, she likes the place, the natural surroundings and the beauty of the countryside. She loves the things and the people deer to Leon. There maybe some partial imitations of the prevailing modes of the dominant tradition and some internalization of its standards.

This is what happen to Maria. A lot of women have been some what under represented in the traditional settings; A feminist approach to literature is addressed to this problem, as depicted by Maria, in the story .
Alongside with the feminist approach, the moral or humanistic approach is used in the story. One larger purpose of literature is to teach morally and to probe some philosophical issues, related to morality, emotional or psychological set up.

The story is a picture of a close knit community or family. There is some mental or emotional disturbance of Leons Father indicated by the statement that his leg was wounded in the revolution that troubles his ailing legs. Maria makes good sense, as the story unfolds, in accommodating Leons brother (the narrator himself) and treating him nicely and kindly. That is the one test of how a woman should relate to who ever she encounters in the family of ones in-laws .

On the other hand, the cultural approach is also relevant in the story; it shows the difference of culture in the lives of people and how it affects people's behaviour. The pleasures enjoyed by the rural folks are simple enough which maybe denied to city folks like Maria. Yet Maria smart enough to adjust in this assimilation or acculturation process. One can readily see the impact of culture through the characters in the story. Although Maria, at the start, was getting impatient and constantly culture embedded in her personality was also started to get loose or irritated, yet Leons culture interrupted this to happen by simply singing the song together Sky Sown with Stars.

The End

is the collection of movements aimed at

defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights for women. In addition, feminism seeks to establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment.

is the exercise of authority or power in a

burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. It can also be defined as an act or instance of oppressing, the state of being oppressed, and the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse condition, and anxiety.

is a social system in which the male acts as

the primary authority figure central to social organization, and where fathers holds authority over women, children and property.

 is a belief that may be adopted about specific types of

individual or certain ways of doing things, but that belief may or may not accurately reflect reality. However, this is only a fundamental psychological definition of a stereotype. Within and across different psychology disciplines, there are different concepts and theories of stereotyping that provide their own expanded definition. Some of these definitions share commonalities, though each one may also harbour unique aspects that may complement or contradict the others.