This entry describes Feminism and Gender Theory as a critical approach to comics. Since feminist literary theory and gender theory are general terms that encompass multiple critical approaches, it is necessary to limit the main features of these theories to the approaches that are shared by the majority of critics. First and foremost, feminist theory deals with representations of women in literary works and examines the socio-political ramifications of these representations. Dr. Sarah Gilbert and  Dr. Susan Gubar are representative scholars of feminist theory. Gender theory, which is a separate theory that in some ways dependents on feminist theory, focuses on the issue of gender identity and how it is represented in issues of sexuality, power relationships and the marginalization of characters within literature. Dr. Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick and Susan Bordo are representative gender theory scholars.  Applying feminist theory and gender theory to comic books is fairly new, since formal gender theory is mostly a product of the second wave of feminism that occurred in the 1960's and 1970's. Gender literary theory is an even newer approach that examines works through the idea that gender is a performance of identity based on social conditioning. 

Background

Although feminist literary theory is relatively new to comic analysis, the theory developed over time and has roots in the first, second and third waves of feminism. It is possible to argue that Mary Wolstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Women is the first feminist text (Donovan 24). Feminist theory as a critical approach became more defined during the second wave of feminism during the mid-twentieth century. Feminist theory has several approaches, including Marxist, Psycho-analytical, Radical Feminism, and Cultural Feminism, but all of the approaches share a focus on the ways women are oppressed within patriarchal society.  Gender theory adds a focus on how characters embody and enact masculine and feminine roles as dictated by the society (Brown 21).

Underlying Assumptions

Feminist theory and gender theory share several underlying assumptions:

• Women are oppressed economically, politically and psychologically in a patriarchal society. ( Gender theory includes any person identified as "Other' within society).
• Women are represented in terms of how they differ from men and as a result, become marginalized within the patriarchal power structure. ( Gender theory expands this to all marginalized people).
• Gender identity, unlike sex, is a cultural construct and not determined by biology. 

Types of Questions

Objects of Study

Does this type of analysis focus on the comic books themselves or something else? Is it applicable to only a certain type of comic book? Does it focus on only a specific part? What would be a paradigmatic example of such an object?

Methods of Analysis

What are the key methods employed by this form of criticism? How do they work? Give some quick examples. 

Bibliography

• Give a chronological list of significant or representative work in this genre of comics criticism.

References 

1. The sources used to compile this entry.

Further Reading

• Links to other sources available online related to this entry.