Elaine Showalter’s "Toward a Feminist Poetics"

 

Elaine Showalter’s "Toward a Feminist Poetics"

Elaine Showalter’s seminal essay "Toward a Feminist Poetics" (1979), first delivered as a lecture at the University of London and later published in the journal Women’s Writing and Writing about Women, represents a critical turning point in feminist literary theory. At a time when feminist criticism was still emerging as a scholarly discipline, Showalter boldly proposed a comprehensive framework for analyzing women’s literature on its own terms rather than through the lens of male literary traditions.

The Need for a Feminist Poetics

Showalter begins the essay with a striking observation: “The task of feminist criticism is to find its own subject, to develop its own models, and to define its own goals.” She critiques the male-dominated academic environment and the limitations of traditional literary theory, which often marginalized or misrepresented women writers. In her view, feminist criticism must move beyond simply exposing the biases of male-authored texts and instead establish an independent and rigorous methodology that reflects the unique experiences of women as readers and writers.

Feminist Critique vs. Gynocritics

A central distinction in Showalter’s essay is between feminist critique and gynocritics:

• Feminist Critique, according to Showalter, is "the woman as reader," an approach that analyzes texts through the lens of gender-based power structures. It interrogates how literature perpetuates sexist ideologies and how women are depicted in male-authored texts. While necessary, this approach is ultimately “dependent on the dominant male critical theory.”
• Gynocritics, on the other hand, studies “the woman as writer.” This method seeks to uncover the female literary tradition, examining women’s texts in relation to their historical, social, and cultural contexts. Gynocritics analyzes themes such as female experience, identity, body, and language, asking: What are the specific characteristics of women’s writing? How do women authors represent themselves and their worlds?

Showalter describes gynocritics as a move toward "autonomy," allowing women’s literature to be interpreted without being filtered through male perspectives.

The Three Phases of Women’s Literary Development

Showalter draws upon literary history to chart a trajectory of women’s writing in the English tradition, dividing it into three distinct phases:

1. Feminine Phase (1840–1880):

In this period, women writers such as Charlotte Brontë and George Eliot wrote under male pseudonyms or adopted traditionally masculine themes and styles. Their goal was acceptance within the male literary establishment, leading to what Showalter calls a period of “imitation.”

2. Feminist Phase (1880–1920):

Writers like Elizabeth Robins and Olive Schreiner began to protest against male literary standards and advocated for women’s rights. Literature in this phase reflects “protest” and is often overtly political, engaging directly with issues such as suffrage and legal rights.

3. Female Phase (1920–present):

Marked by a move toward self-discovery and a redefinition of identity, this phase includes authors such as Virginia Woolf and Dorothy Richardson, who explored the inner lives of women and developed innovative literary techniques to express female consciousness. Here, literature becomes “self-expressive and self-defining.”

Showalter argues that understanding these phases allows critics to trace the evolution of women's voices and identities in literature over time.

Language and the Body

Showalter emphasizes the significance of the female body and language in women’s writing. She points to the potential of a distinct “women’s language” that might emerge from female experience and embodiment—what French feminists like Hélène Cixous termed écriture féminine. However, she critiques French feminist theory for being too abstract and theoretical, preferring a more grounded, Anglo-American approach that is historical, pragmatic, and text-based.

She writes: “While French theorists focus on female textuality as a signifier of difference and desire, Anglo-American critics are more interested in the actual conditions under which women write.”

Cultural and Literary Context

Showalter insists that women’s literature must be understood in the context of women’s culture—the shared traditions, institutions, education, and social roles that shape female identity. This includes experiences such as childbirth, domesticity, and the struggle for autonomy. Gynocriticism seeks to excavate this buried tradition, restoring forgotten women writers to the literary canon and acknowledging their contributions.

She asks, “Can we find a usable past for the woman writer?” — a call to action for feminist critics to construct a literary history that includes and honours women’s voices.

Legacy and Impact

"Toward a Feminist Poetics" remains a landmark in feminist literary theory. It shifted the critical focus from reactive to constructive, from analyzing how women are depicted to understanding how women write. Showalter’s essay helped institutionalize feminist criticism and inspired generations of scholars to pursue the recovery, study, and celebration of women’s literature.

As feminist criticism evolved, scholars debated and revised Showalter’s model, but her foundational insights—particularly the call for a distinct critical methodology rooted in women’s experiences—continue to shape literary studies.

Conclusion

Elaine Showalter’s Toward a Feminist Poetics is a powerful manifesto for the autonomy of women’s literary voices. By establishing the theoretical groundwork for gynocritics, Showalter invites readers and critics alike to engage with literature not just as a reflection of gendered power but as a rich field in which women’s creativity, struggle, and expression are given rightful place and critical depth. Her essay is not only an academic milestone but also a compelling reminder of literature's role in shaping and reflecting cultural identities.