According to Elaine Showalter, the focus of feminist critique is primarily on analyzing the portrayal of women in literature written by men.
This approach examines how male authors represent female characters, identifying stereotypes, biases, and patriarchal ideologies that shape these portrayals.
It also explores how literary traditions reinforce male dominance and marginalize women’s voices.
Feminist critique is influenced by theoretical perspectives like Marxism, psychoanalysis, and structuralism, and it often engages in deconstructing misogynistic themes in canonical literature.
Showalter describes it as being akin to "ideological and political criticism", focusing on uncovering how literature contributes to the oppression of women.
