Feminist Literary Criticism - Books

A provocative examination of women's sexuality, desire, and agency in the contemporary era of affirmative consent. Angel challenges simplistic narratives about sexual empowerment and explores the complex relationship between consent, desire, and female sexual autonomy in the wake of #MeToo.

A groundbreaking philosophical analysis that redefines misogyny not as hatred of women, but as a system designed to police and punish women who challenge patriarchal norms. Manne provides a rigorous framework for understanding how misogyny functions as the enforcement branch of patriarchy.

A collection of essays that explores the complexities of contemporary feminism with humor and honesty, acknowledging that feminists can be contradictory and imperfect.

A modern feminist classic that deeply explores the phenomenon of 'mansplaining' and its impact on women. Solnit's sharp writing reveals gender power relations in everyday life, providing important perspectives for understanding contemporary women's circumstances.

A collection of essays, speeches, and reviews spanning 20 years by Pulitzer Prize winner Alice Walker, focusing on the intersection of personal and political, from civil rights movement to anti-nuclear sentiment, from literary criticism to personal reflections of Black women, mothers, and feminists. Called 'womanist prose' by the author, it provides profound perspectives for understanding late 20th-century feminism.

A groundbreaking work of ecofeminist scholarship that examines how the Scientific Revolution transformed Western culture's understanding of nature from a living, nurturing organism to a dead, mechanical object to be exploited. Merchant reveals the intimate connection between the domination of women and the domination of nature.

A foundational work of modern feminism that deeply analyzes women's status and situation in society, proposing the famous viewpoint that 'one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.'

A foundational work of feminist literary criticism that explores the material and psychological conditions necessary for women's creative work with poetic and incisive insight, proposing influential theories of women's writing.