November 26, 2012

Gynocriticism-Discussion Term

Gynocriticism
  • Refers to feminist criticism (emerged in U.S. around 1970's)
  • Focus is on literary works by women 
  • "special and explicitly female tradition exists in literature..."
  • power is within own female communities and traditions 
  • removing the comparison of women to men
  • "female language" : empowers females and their writing
  • refer to feminine subjects, "such as domestic life, intimate experiences and personal and family relationships"
  • separates from men and masculinity

This term can be applied to the reading on Helen Keller. As some may argue that they do not see her as a rhetorical theorist, I think that her own, personal, experiences as a woman and a blind woman at that, give her all the power to be named a rhetorical theorist. She is able to experience her own communities as a woman and a handicapped woman. She was able to create her own language as a female herself and empower other women through her own experiences. Not only does she make use of "female language" but it is also enhanced by her language as a woman with a handicap. She still experience domestic life as a woman and family life as a woman. Her experience with her handicap would have been much different if she had experienced as a man. 

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