Feminist literary interpretation is a form of literary interpretation which focuses on applying the principles of Feminism to literature, and is a basic part of literary theory.
A feminist literary interpretation is largely focused on the roles that women and gender play in a work of literature. If women are portrayed as weak, inferior, or dependent, the work will likely be criticized for these traits. Similarly, a feminist interpretation will be likely to praise a work which shows women as independent, intelligent, strong, and perhaps even superior to men.
Questions that a feminist literary interpretation might attempt to answer:
- Does the work challenge or comply with the gender status quo?
- Do women play a major role in the work, or are they secondary to male characters?
- How do characters overcome (or fail to overcome) their traditional gender roles?
- How might the work differ, if it were written from an author of the opposite gender?
- Is there a difference between male and female writing?
Good works for feminist literary interpretation:
- Anything by Margaret Atwood.
- Virginia Woolf: To the Lighthouse
