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Karla Ochoa
Mrs. Williams
ENG 102
July 14, 2014
Feminist Criticism
Linda Anderson is an author in the United Kingdom. Her are of interest is based on
womens autobiographical writings and poetry in todays era. Andersons research focuses on
Feminist and Queer theory, and trauma theory. Anderson has written many articles including
Review Article: Questions of Feminist Criticism where she mentions how women not only think
and say things differently but also provide a different perspective. Many feminist critics criticize
the way a woman does things in a whole different way, and whether or not it is correct or
incorrect and how it does not differ at all from a males perspective. Anderson compares the
feminist theory with three different theories, in which she finds that the Mois collection
represents an ongoing process of questioning within feminist criticism in relation to other
critical theories (Anderson 1). According to the author, It has been an ongoing process to
prove if women write differently than men.
Over the past years there has been a collection of data of feminist criticism to prove
how feminist criticism has gained a receptive audience. Anderson mentions that all of this is
done to provide a clear framework for viewpoints which could seem bewildering diverse and
complex (Anderson 1). In the article Questions of Feminist Criticism, two women named Judith
Newton and Deborah Rosenfelts argue they are materialist feminist. Both women refer to a
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materialist- feminist as criticism still insists upon the intersection of ideas and language with
the social and historical, reminding us that we cant look to culture alone to liberate us, much
feminist criticism implies the primacy of psyche as the essential terrain on which political
struggle is waged, viewing texts, discourses, categories of language and symbolic modes as the
major armaments in that struggle (Anderson 1). Anderson explains later in the article that the
point of this paragraph is to prove that feminist critics are unified--though disunited-- in their
relation to knowledge (Anderson 2).
There has been a recovery of womens literary history where it is thought that both
these anthologies suggest, has been exclusive, reflecting the assumption that all women are
white, heterosexual middleclass (Anderson 2). The article Questions of Feminist Criticism,
Anderson mentions how Barbara Smith asked white women to accept the fact that black
women have been silenced and ignored by the unacknowledged ideological boundaries of
feminist criticism as they have been by the dominant (white, male) culture (Anderson 2).
Anderson writes in her article that white women have not noticed black women missing from
the reading matter, political view, or their own personal life. Even to this day women reading
Questions of Feminist Criticism cannot see or notice the absence of black women. Homosexual
women are more accepted in society then black women whom still have to struggle with
racism.
In the article, Anderson also talks about the Kristeva theory in which Kristeva does not
allie herself with feminist criticism. Kristeva gives us a concept of the semiotic which she links
to pre-oedipal primary processes goes on disrupting language or the symbolic even after the
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subject has successfully positioned him/herself in language (Anderson 3). Most of Kristevas
work is focused on the semiotic within male writers. Many, including Kristeva herself have a
perception of the model the central dilemma of female give while wanting to challenge men
and identify them. Kristeva finds it hard to balance herself between a position that deconstructs
and identifies altogether more questions than answers.
The main point of feminist criticism in Questions of Feminist Criticism is to prove that
feminist criticism is that it constitutes itself as a process of questioning which cannot be easily
closed (Anderson 4). It doesnt matter who speaks, or who you are speaking to, but what
matters in feminist criticism is how it is said. In her article Anderson mentions how some
writers think some women think differently than others just because of their skin color. All
female brains function the same; therefore, all of feminist criticisms should be taken into
consideration equally. To some people the male figure is the center of the universe but to
women who become largely academic instructed believe in feminist criticism.
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Works Cited
Anderson, Linda. "Review Article: Questions of Feminist Criticism." GALE CENGAGE
Learning. N.p., Sept. 1987. Web. 14 July 2014.
"Newcastle University." Centre Staff. N.p., 27 Jan. 2014. Web. 14 July 2014.