A collection of five essays (plus preface and afterword) by noted feminist critics, this book provides an overview of the existing body of feminist literary criticism in order to promote an understanding of the issues feminist critics are currently discussing among themselves and with other critics. A theoretical framework for understanding this new critical direction is also proposed. The authors included in this collection are Cheri Register, Dorin Schumacher, Marcia Holly, Barbara Currier Bell, Carol Ohmann, Carolyn Heilbrun, Catharine Stimpson, and Josephine Donovan. (TS)