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.