Appleman Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of Critical Encounters deals with Feminist Theory and is very similar in many ways to Chapter 4 on Marxist Theory. The point of FT, as I perceive it, is a lot like MT because it strives to interpret literature texts by examining the treatment and perceptions of typical oppressed groups. FT allows readers to witness an expansion of literary canon beyond "dead white guys," to include works from previously unread and under utilized authors. The author suggests, on page 77, that there are "at least four dimensions in which using feminist theory can transform students' reading... [1] how students view female characters and [2] appraise the author's stance towards those characters... [3] how students evaluate the significance of the gender of the author in terms of its influence on a particular work... [4] how students read the gendered patterns in the world." An example of the application of this theory in the classroom is given concerning the work, The Yellow Wallpaper. Students are able to view this story from two complete separate perspectives. One interpretation shows the husband as sympathetic to his wife's needs, trying to do everything he can to help her "illness." Another reading of the story demonstrates the female character's insignificance compared to her male counterpart. Using an ambiguous text such as this can easily help students realize the importance and significance of such literary theories. One thing about this chapter that bothered me was the amount of student comments supporting the author's argument. Even despite the shear number of included comments, some of the comments themselves seemed to be sort of contrived like this one concerning Mount Rushmore on page 89, "[t]here are no females; are females just not good enough to be on national monuments?" I'm not suggesting that the argument isn't a valid one, but my reading of the comments suggests that some of the students were just looking for the "right" answer to appease their teacher. I'm sure, however, that this would probably happen regardless of the theory being used.