Glossary of Poetic Terms

Feminist theory is an extension of feminism’s critique of male power and ideology that interrogates the role of gender in the writing, interpretation, and dissemination of literary texts. Like other growing fields of literary inquiry, feminist theory combines elements of other theoretical models such as psychoanalysis, Marxism, poststructuralism, and deconstruction. Important feminist theorists of the 20th century include writers Betty Friedan, Julia Kristeva, Judith Butler, Audre Lorde, bell hooks, Elaine Showalter, Carol Gilligan, and Adrienne Rich.  Read more about feminist theory in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature.