Himanshi Parmar : (Feminist Criticism ) Thinking activity : Marxist, Ecocritical, Feminist and Queer Criticism.

Hello, I am Himanshi Parmar, student of MK Bhavnagar University. This blog i have written as a response to Thinking Activity, Which is a Part of my academic Work. Which we get after each unit. In this blog, i am going to discuss about Feminist Criticism. Also interlinked other blogs of Marxist, Ecocritical, and Queer Criticism.

Feminist Criticism

Feminist criticism is concerned with "the ways in which literature (and other cultural productions) reinforce or undermine the economic, political, social, and psychological oppression of women".This school of theory looks at how aspects of our culture are inherently patriarchal (male dominated) and aims to expose misogyny in writing about women, which can take explicit and implicit forms.

Feminist literary criticism is literary criticism informed by feminist theory, or more broadly, by the politics of feminism. It uses the principles and ideology of feminism to critique the language of literature. This school of thought seeks to analyze and describe the ways in which literature portrays the narrative of male domination by exploring the economic, social, political, and psychological forces embedded within literature.

Here is some points that what is the role of Feminist critics :

1)Examine power relations which obtain in texts and in life, with a view to breaking them down, seeing reading as a political act, and showing the extent of patriarchy.

2)Recognise the role of language in making what is social and constructed seem transparent and 'natural'.

3)Rethink the canon, aiming at the rediscovery of texts written by women.

4)Question the popular notion of the death of the author, asking whether there are only 'subject positions ... constructed in discourse', or whether, on the contrary, the experience (e.g. of a black or lesbian writer) is central.

5)Explore the question of whether there is a female language, an ecriture feminine, and whether this is also available to men.

To read more about it (click here)

now let us understand this theory by doing feminist critical analysis of some advertisement.

1) Fair and Handsome advertisement :-

This advertisement is of men fairness cream named Fair and Handsome Fairness cream. If we observe language of both this ad of same product, with the feminist point of view, it becomes problematic. In both the advertisement we have dialogues like, "mard hoke ladkiyo vali fairness cream!" Tone of this sentence seems very ocward and creat inferiority complex for women. This advertisement somehow seems as it is supporting male dominated environment. And if men do something or use something which belongs to women, it is becomes shameful for him which we find in this advertisement. This also reflect society where women and men are still not considered as a similar, where superiority of men still exist. Watch this video to understand to understand this concept more clearly.

2) News clip

This news is of Gujrati newspaper in which 400 communities came together to make rule that if daughters from their community will do love marriage then they exclude them from their properties. If we see the picture given in the news clip, there is not a single women is sitting while decisions are taken for them. men are taken decision that what women should do or what not, which rights they deserve or which not.

Another point is that the rule they want make for women only, the same rule is not applied for men. Men are free to do love marriage and yet gain all the fortune of their forefathers. Typical patriarchy is playing role here. From feminist point of view, this news clip is showing how women are still marginalized by men.

3) Indian T. V. Serials :-

Simone de Beauvoir explains that the destiny society traditionally offers women is marriage. Even today, most women are, were, or plan to be married, or they suffer from not being so. Marriage is the reference by which a woman is defined, whether she is frustrated by, disgusted at, or even indifferent to this institution. Thus, the desperation to have a man is largely a desperate attempt to ascribe value to the woman herself. Nowadays, the dominant theme of these soaps is anchored on the patriarchally established myth – “aurat hi aurat ki sabse badi dushman” (a woman’s greatest enemy is another woman herself). The tv shows gaining the highest target rating (TRP) like Anupama, Gum Hai Kisi k Pyaar mei, Udaariya, Tarak Mehta ka Ulta Chashma, and Imile to name a few, have all been following the same thematic pattern.

1- Tarak Mehta ka ulta chashma :-

Tarak mehta ka ulta Chashma is most popular serial of Sony SAB T. V. Channel. Main concept of this serial is seven families from different culture and cast living together in one society. First analysis is all the women characters are portrayed as very happy because no one has mothers in-law in their home. Theme song of the serial has a lines like, 'Kam din raat karvati meri saas muje roj satati hai', 'Dilme pyar ho to saas ma ban jati hai'. Which is showing 'saas' as a antagonist of a 'Bahu'. Also promoting myth – “aurat hi aurat ki sabse badi dushman” (a woman’s greatest enemy is another woman herself).

The second feminist criticism one can do of This serial is they time and again claimed that women and men are equal but women of this serial is always marginalized by men and they are dependent on men all the ways. For example madhvi is business woman still if she want to buy anything or wants makr any decision then she has to ask her husband Bhide. All other women are also dependent on their husband's fortune and obeying them even if they wrong. Watch this episodes to understand this.

2- Anupama,Gum hai Kisi Ke Pyaar mei,Imlie (serial)

Indian daily soaps have been perpetuating the misogynist structures that we live in. From being immemorially caught up in the saas bahu drama depicting women as essentially docile and submissive, to storylines confining women within households and normalising them taking up the double burden of having a career (only in conventional jobs) as well as running a family, daily serials have been cementing gender roles.The wife is portrayed as homely, carrying the burdens of parampara, pratishtha, and anushasan, (tradition, customs, discipline) along with izzat, lihaz and sharam (chastity, honour). The other woman is caricatured as evil – the house breaker, playing all sorts of gimmicks to woo the man, create trouble and insult his wife, take revenge on her for being in his life, and to morally degrade her.

Indian Express Kavya (from Anupama), a professional can be seen going to the length of neglecting her profession just to win over Vanraj and pull down Anupama. Another well educated character Patralekha (from Gum hai Kisi Ke Pyaar mei) consciously makes the decision not to do any job and throws herself on Virat to prove her love. Yet again, Malini (from Imlie) who happens to be a college lecturer goes to the extent of taking advantage of Aditya and making out with him without consent to get pregnant, in order to secure her marriage and to remain in his life.

Also leading characters like Anupama is kind of domestic, typical house wife who by her actions giving massages to society that women should br like this, women should have to maintain their professional life as well as households. First role of women is of wife, mother, daughter in law, accepting of herself or women.