Appleman, Chap. 5

Overall, I thought the chapter provides some excellent activities to use in the classroom and with feminist literary theory. After discussing with students the nature of feminists and the dimensions of the literary theory (i.e. portrayal of female characters, influence of female writers, gender roles, etc.) an activity such as the one in the appendix would be very suitable. The activity asks students to examine common American objects, people, or events from both a traditional and feminist perspective. Something major that should be taken from this: how our society still remains a very much patriarchal society. As Bonnycastle (1996) states, feminist literary theory "...doesn't need to be revolutionary, but, like Marxism, it does aim at changing the world and the consciousness of people in the world" (p. 76). This consciousness can, however, be particularly difficult for male students to grasp, especially those who have a strong identification with masculinity. Examples of some of the heated debates that took place between male and female students in the classroom exemplifies the true struggle for power between men and women, and I'm not sure I'm completely comfortable with students attacking each other (p. 88). But then again, maybe this is necessary in order for the male students who are hesitant to look through this lens to truly acknowledge the woman and her importance to society...?

In addition to the works that are mentioned, I think, as always, that Alice Walker's The Color Purple can be a great text to apply feminist criticism. It of course pits the protagonist, Celie, in the midst of a loveless relationship with a cynical and degrading man, one that is forced upon her and views her as his property. Mr. ____'s initial behavior and attitude directly reflects the perceived "value" of A.A. women at the time time. This relationship could be the focus of the criticism, but there are some interesting points worth noting. Typical and non-typical gender roles are portrayed (i.e. the domesticated Harpo) and the dynamism of Mr.______ provides the story with some interesting motifs. Moreover, I like a book such as Beloved where a more matriarchal perspective is employed. This can get students to realize that there have been some very powerful women who continue to lay the foundation for the voices of future women.