Working with Feminist Criticism

Mary Eagleton is Senior Lecturer in English and Women's Studies at the University College of Ripon and York St John. She has been closely involved in the development of feminist criticism and Women's Studies and is known for her contributions to this field. She is the editor of Feminist Literary Theory: A Reader (second edition 1995, Blackwell Publishers) and author of Feminist Literary Criticism.

"Working with Feminist Criticism is both a guide to understanding and using feminist criticism and also a valuable source book for simple classroom exercises and for wider reading. This is not a daunting tome, but a fantastic source of ideas for the teacher of more advanced English language. It is also a worthwhile addition to the bookshelves of anyone with an interest in criticism and a passion for reading." Vatime Newsletter."Working with Feminist Criticism is an invaluable resource for students coming to feminist literary criticism for the first time. However, it contains lots of useful and illuminating ideas that could be taken up by more experienced students." Caroline Guerin University of Adelaide.

• Acknowledgments viIntroduction  1Speech and Silence 16Defining a Feminist Text 32Creating a Matrilineage 37The Woman Author: Lost and Found 49The Death of a Woman Author? 65Gender and Genre 77Feminism and Genre Fiction 91Feminist Publishing 105Feminist Reading 119Feminist Criticisms 135Patriarchal Binary Thought 146Gender Play 158Feminine Writing and Reading 172Finding the Subject 189The Politics of Location 208Conclusion 219Works Cited 221Index 234