This episode provides an overview of feminist literary criticism, tracing its development from medieval precursors to modern theoretical approaches. They discuss key figures, such as Elaine Showalter, identifying her distinction between "feminist critique" (focusing on women as readers) and "gyno-critics" (focusing on women as writers). Significant attention is paid to Mary Wollstonecraft as a foundational figure who employed critical strategies against patriarchal authors, such as Milton and Rousseau, and to Simone de Beauvoir, whose work on the social construction of gender and myth laid the groundwork for later feminist theorists, including Kate Millett. Furthermore, the episode explores specialised areas of criticism, including the rise of black feminist criticism (focusing on intersectionality), lesbian feminist criticism (addressing the 'lesbian continuum'), French feminism (such as Irigaray's focus on the embodied subject), and the impact of poststructuralism and psychoanalysis on understanding sexual difference and gender performativity. Collectively, the sources map the evolution of feminist thought as a complex, politically engaged, and theoretically diverse field that constantly challenges literary canons and patriarchal structures.

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