A Feminist Job is Never Done...

After reading Elaine Showalter’s essays, “Towards a Feminist Poet,” I began to realize how much a male has an influence over what goes on with a women. One particular quote that stood out to me after reading was on page 146, “Its subjects include the images and stereotypes of women in literature, the omissions and misconceptions about women in criticism and the fissures in male-constructed literary history.” I feel that this quote describes perfectly what a feminist critique is exactly looking for. It shows us how women are perceived by men and the stereotypes that we must live up to. Showalter focuses on the both the male perception and gynocrytics. I feel that I feminist literary critic should break down stories and show what the actual role of the women is suppose to be. Their job is to help both people and themsleves understand “the place” of women within a text. They want to see how a women is portrayed, and depending on the circumstance, agree or disagree with what was writing.