What is the primary focus of feminist literary criticism?

The primary focus of feminist literary criticism is to examine literature through the lens of gender inequality and women's perspectives. This approach seeks to understand how gender influences the creation of literature and how women have been represented throughout literary history. It emphasizes the importance of women's voices and experiences, as well as the impact of societal norms on literature. By prioritizing the exploration of themes such as oppression, identity, and representation, feminist literary criticism provides a broader understanding of texts and highlights issues that may have been overlooked by traditional literary critique.

While analyzing gender roles in society is an important aspect of feminist criticism, it is not the sole focus; rather, the examination is specifically tied to literature's representation of women's experiences and the critique of patriarchal structures. Critiquing male authors and promoting female authors can be components of feminist literary criticism, but they do not encompass its primary purpose, which revolves around understanding and addressing gender inequality in literature.