Overall, any work of literature should be analyzed from various standpoints such as for instance, cultural, social, historic etc, certainly if it is possible. It seems that only one approach cannot reflect all the complexity of art. Thus, it is difficult to single out only one method of criticism. However, I would like to focus on feminist perspective because it enables to discover new aspect in such works, which has always been regarded as “thoroughly studied” (Judith Lowder Newton, 1985).
Feminist criticism is primarily aimed at redefining the role of female characters in any work of literature. The supporters of this school argue that this aspect has been overlooked or even deliberately disregarded. As a result, we may have a distorted perception of even well-known novels, plays, poems, etc. In addition to that such perspective gives us a good opportunity to trace the relationships between both sexes. Although, it is traditionally called as “feminist”, we should say that, in fact, such form of criticism advocates gender equality and tolerance (Judith Lowder Newton, 1985).
We may take such famous Shakespeare’s tragedies as Othello or Hamlet. It should be pointed out that the role of Ophelia or for instance Desdemona has yet to be closely examined. Although, it is not openly stated by the author, we may see that gender relations are one of the most important aspects of Shakespeare’s plays. The dramaturge shows that men often regard women only as property, especially if we are speaking about Othello. It seems that feminist criticism can throw a new light on many literary works.
Therefore, it is quite possible for to arrive at the conclusion that feminist approach is an efficient method of literary analysis, even though some people often call “prejudiced”. Nevertheless, it should be taken into account that only one perspective is insufficient, because it we discuss, such play as Hamlet only from feminist point of view, we will definitely lose the essence of the famous tragedy.
Bibliography
Judith Lowder Newton, Deborah Silverton Rosenfelt (1985). Feminist Criticism and Social Change: Sex, Class, and Race in Literature and Culture. Taylor & Francis.