“This lively and highly readable account of the encounter with feminism will interest both students and critics alike. . . . For feminist readers of whatever nationality, this will provide a timely reminder of the ways in which ‘rather than destroying the field of literary study, feminism has reinvigorated it.’”

Year’s Work in Critical and Cultural Theory

“Aiming at readers whose knowledge of feminist literary criticism has come largely from popular media, the author gives a concise account of a range of feminist critical approaches to literature and convincingly demonstrates the usefulness and variety of these approaches. . . . Felski supports her arguments with a wide variety of examples, and her writing is enjoyable to read.”--Choice

Choice

“For the beginning student of feminist studies, this is a good survey. . . . For the advanced student, it is a helpful review. Most feminist students of literature will find the bibliography an invaluable tool. . . . A learned critique and eloquent defense of feminists’ contributions to the field of literary studies.”

Meg Gardiner | IRIS

"Felski . . . here offers an eloquent apologetic for feminist literary criticism, revealing its diversity, celebrating its great influence on the teaching of literature, and showing its development far beyond the stereotypes imposed by its critics. In the process, she provides a penetrating analysis of fiction and the ways in which feminist criticism has changed its authors, plots, and values and the perceptions of the general public."

Library Journal

"An informative and thorough introduction for beginners in feminist studies as well as a valuable reference book on recent feminist debates in the United States for an advanced academic audience."

Klaudia Papp | Hungarian Journal of English and American Studies