CRG for February 19 (PW 319-338—Feminisms)
As you read Fiona Tolan's article on feminisms (and be sure to ask yourself why she pluralizes her title), keep in mind as much as possible of what you have read this semester. In particular, keep in mind (a) Saussure's theories of signification based on difference and (b) Foucault's postulates on concepts, history, and discourse. These will help you understand the next phase of the course.
Tolan argues from the very beginning that "feminism should be understood as a discourse: a discussion of multiple related ideas" (319). Fully appreciate what she means here.
If, according to Simone de Beauvoir, there is no such thing as 'feminine nature,' how would she explain sexual difference? What is essentialism (and how could Foucault help us understand it)? Why have some feminists argued that women should not assimilate into masculine society? What is the relationship between animal behavourism and history? (Think about the nature/culture divide.)
When critics brought feminism to the study of literature (325ff) what sorts of attitudes, beliefs, and philosophies about literature did they entertain?
What would fall under the rubric of "sexual politics," and how might literature be implicated in this?
What is phallocentric criticism? How would Saussure understand it? What would Foucault add to it? On 328 we read that Kate Millett encouraged readers to "read against the grain" of a work in such a way as to "produce a different [work] from the one intended." Explain what that would involve and what it might mean. What other person we have read might have made a similar remark? (Hint: Foucault) Explain.
What is gynocriticism? How does it relate to the manner in which we read, as opposed to what is written? How can an author's or reader's sex actually make a difference in a work's meaning?
What sorts of criticism have some women applied to some of the forms of feminism(s) you have read about?
What distinguishes the new French feminisms from the anglo-american kind? How does psychoanalysis enter into the mix? Is there really such thing as an écriture féminine, and can a man produce it?
Is Judith Butler really arguing that there isn't any such thing as masculine or feminine? Is there gender? Is there sex?