Applying a Feminist Lens to Literature

What is Feminist Criticism?

Feminist criticism involves reading a text according to feminist ideas and concepts, which revolve around the ways in a society might value one gender or sex over the others. When conducting a feminist criticism, we're thinking about gender structures, the ways in which power is distributed amongst those structures, and the means by which these structures are maintained.

At the heart of this mode of interpretation is the consideration of the following core conflict:

Masculinity / Men vs. Femininity / Women

These slides contain a broad overview of what Feminist Criticism does. They are good for students who want to remind themselves of some of this theory's key aspects. For a deeper understanding of what a feminist critic does, explore the resources below.


This video provides some basic information about key concepts within feminist theory, as well as some important feminist thinkers. There are also examples of feminist theory applied to Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.

Key Figures

  • Judith Butler

  • R.W. Connell

  • Hélène Cixous

  • Gayle Rubin

  • Germaine Greer

  • Gloria Steinem

  • Simone De Beauvoir

  • Naomi Wolfe

Key Concepts

Questions to Consider:

1. Does the text challenge or reinforce traditional gender roles? How?


2. In what ways is the text’s setting depicted as being patriarchal?


3. How is masculinity depicted in the text vs the depiction of femininity? Which has more value?


4. How are the power relationships between men and women depicted?


5. Are symbols or items of value traditionally masculine or feminine? What does this suggest about the value of men vs women?


6. In what ways do structures oppress women in the text?


Further Reading