Sexual/textual Politics: Feminist Literary TheoryThis book examines the strengths and limitations of the two main strands in feminist criticism, the Anglo-American and the French, paying particular attention to the works of Cixous, Irigaray and Kristeva.What are the political implications of a feminist critical practice? How do the problems of the literary text relate to the priorities and perspectives of feminist politics as a whole?Sexual/Textual Politics addresses these fundamental questions and examines the strengths and limitations of the two main strands in feminist criticism, the Anglo-American and the French. It pays particular attention to the works of Cixous, Irigaray and Kristeva, and since publication this book has rightly attained the status of a classic. Although written for readers with little knowledge of the subject, Sexual/Textual Politics makes its own intervention into key debates, arguing provocatively for commitedly political and theoretical criticism rather than a textual or apolitical approach.With a new afterword in this edition, Sexual/Textual Politics is a brilliantly accessible must-read for all those interested in feminist literary theory. |
Contents
some points | 9 |
Images of Women criticism | 41 |
Theoretical reflections | 69 |
From Simone de Beauvoir to Jacques Lacan | 89 |
an imaginary utopia | 100 |
Luce Irigarays lookingglass | 126 |
Julia Kristeva | 149 |
AFTERWORD | 173 |
NOTES | 186 |
| 197 | |
| 211 | |
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Common terms and phrases
aesthetic analysis androgyny Anglo-American feminist criticism approach argues becomes castration chapter Cixous Cixous's claims concept context critique cultural deconstructive Derrida's desire discourse discussion dominant écriture féminine Elaine Showalter Ellmann's essay female femi feminine feminism feminist criticism feminist literary feminist literary criticism feminist theory fiction French feminist Freud gender Gilbert and Gubar Hélène Cixous identity Images of Women Imaginary intellectual Irigaray Irigaray's Jehlen Julia Kristeva Kate Millett kind Kolodny Kristeva Lacan language linguistics literary criticism literary theory Literary Women literature logic Luce Irigaray Madwoman male marginal masculine meaning metaphysical Millett's mother oppression patriarchal patriarchal ideology philosophical poetic position pre-Oedipal precisely problem psychoanalytic question reader reading reject relationship represent semiotic sexism Sexual Politics Sexual/Textual Politics Showalter Showalter's signifier Simone de Beauvoir social speaking subject specular Spéculum strategy structures struggle symbolic order textual theoretical tion tradition unconscious Virginia Woolf voice woman women writers words writing