When literary periods are defined on the basis of mens writing, women

Question

When literary periods are defined on the basis of men’s writing, women’s writing must be forcibly assimilated into an irrelevant grid: a Renaissance that is not a renaissance for women, a Romantic period in which women played very little part, a modernism with which women conflict. Simultaneously, the history of women’s writing has been suppressed, leaving large, mysterious gaps in accounts of the development of various genres. Feminist criticism is beginning to correct this situation. Margaret Anne Doody, for example, suggests that during “the period between the death of Richardson and the appearance of the novels of Scott and Austen,” which has “been regarded as a dead period,” late-eighteenth-century women writers actually developed “the paradigm for women’s fiction of the nineteenth century—something hardly less than the paradigm of the nineteenth-century novel itself.” Feminist critics have also pointed out that the twentieth-century writer Virginia Woolf belonged to a tradition other than modernism and that this tradition surfaces in her work precisely where criticism has hitherto found obscurities, evasions, implausibilities, and imperfections.    1 
 1. It can be inferred from the passage that the author views the division of literature into periods based on men’s writing as an approach that

(A) makes distinctions among literary periods ambiguous
(B) is appropriate for evaluating only premodern literature
(C) was misunderstood until the advent of feminist criticism
(D) provides a valuable basis from which feminist criticism has evolved
(E) obscures women’s contributions to literature

2 
 2. The passage suggests which of the following about Virginia Woolf’s work?

I. Nonfeminist criticism of it has been flawed.
II. Critics have treated it as part of modernism.
III. It is based on the work of late-eighteenth-century women writers.

(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) I and II only
(D) II and III only
(E) I, II and III

3 
 3. The author quotes Doody most probably in order to illustrate

(A) a contribution that feminist criticism can make to literary criticism
(B) a modernist approach that conflicts with women’s writing
(C) writing by a woman which had previously been ignored
(D) the hitherto overlooked significance of Scott’s and Austen’s novels
(E) a standard system of defining literary periods

4 
 4. The passage provides information that answers which of the following questions?

(A) In what tradition do feminist critics usually place Virginia Woolf?
(B) What are the main themes of women’s fiction of the nineteenth century?
(C) What events motivated the feminist reinterpretation of literary history?
(D) How has the period between Richardson’s death and Scott’s and Austen’s novels traditionally been regarded by critics?
(E) How was the development of the nineteenth-century novel affected by women’s fiction in the same century?

sumitkrocks · Answer

1. It can be inferred from the passage that the author views the division of literature into periods based on men’s writing as an approach that
Refer :” When literary periods are defined on the basis of men’s writing, women’s writing must be forcibly assimilated into an irrelevant grid”-
Author is implying that women’s literary work was considered irrelevant and mostly ignored rary

(A) makes distinctions among literary periods ambiguous
(B) is appropriate for evaluating only premodern literature
(C) was misunderstood until the advent of feminist criticism
(D) provides a valuable basis from which feminist criticism has evolved
 (E) obscures women’s contributions to literature

E is the right answer IMO

2. The passage suggests which of the following about Virginia Woolf’s work?

I. Nonfeminist criticism of it has been flawed.
II. Critics have treated it as part of modernism.- 
III. It is based on the work of late-eighteenth-century women writers.

(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) I and II only
(D) II and III only
(E) I, II and III

D is the option I would choose as the best guess; however, I did not see much clue to be confident

3. The author quotes Doody most probably in order to illustrate
Refer: , the history of women’s writing has been suppressed, leaving large, mysterious gaps in accounts of the development of various genres. Feminist criticism is beginning to correct this situation

(A) a contribution that feminist criticism can make to literary criticism 
(B) a modernist approach that conflicts with women’s writing
(C) writing by a woman which had previously been ignored
(D) the hitherto overlooked significance of Scott’s and Austen’s novels
(E) a standard system of defining literary periods

A is the right answer

4. The passage provides information that answers which of the following questions?

Refer: during “the period between the death of Richardson and the appearance of the novels of Scott and Austen,” which has “been regarded as a dead period,”

(A) In what tradition do feminist critics usually place Virginia Woolf?
(B) What are the main themes of women’s fiction of the nineteenth century?
(C) What events motivated the feminist reinterpretation of literary history?
 (D) How has the period between Richardson’s death and Scott’s and Austen’s novels traditionally been regarded by critics? 
(E) How was the development of the nineteenth-century novel affected by women’s fiction in the same century?

D is the right answer IMO

purvikhandelwal1 · Answer

Hi  Sajjad1994 ,

Can you explain the solution to Q2? Where does the passage suggest these two statements for Virginia Wolf's work?

I. Nonfeminist criticism of it has been flawed.
II. Critics have treated it as part of modernism.

Thank you!:-)

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Statement I  can be inferred from the following words

"where criticism has hitherto found obscurities, evasions, implausibilities, and imperfections."

Statement II  can be inferred from the following words

"Feminist critics have also pointed out that the twentieth-century writer Virginia Woolf belonged to a tradition other than modernism and that  this tradition      surfaces in her work precisely".

It is hard to find Statement II comparative to Statement I.

Cneltonmp · Answer

I didn't quite understand the reasoning on Statement II.

" Virginia Woolf belonged to a tradition other than modernism and that  this tradition  surfaces in her work precisely...".
Feminist critics say that Woolf belongs to a tradition (let's call it tradition X) other than modernism. My understanding is that when they refer to "this tradition" that surfaces in her work, they are talking about "tradition X", not modernism. Don't quite see how it would refer to modernism and not "tradition X".

Very confusing for sure

guddo · Answer

2. The passage suggests which of the following about Virginia Woolf’s work?

I. Nonfeminist criticism of it has been flawed.
II. Critics have treated it as part of modernism.
III. It is based on the work of late-eighteenth-century women writers.

(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) I and II only
(D) II and III only
(E) I, II and III

The passage says feminist critics have shown that Virginia Woolf belonged to a tradition other than modernism, and that earlier criticism misunderstood parts of her work as obscure, evasive, implausible, or imperfect.  So the passage supports  that earlier nonfeminist criticism was flawed and that critics had treated Woolf through the  wrong modernist framework .

I. Nonfeminist criticism of it has been flawed.

Supported. The passage says earlier criticism found problems in Woolf’s work where feminist critics now see evidence of another tradition.

II. Critics have treated it as part of modernism.

Supported. The passage says Woolf belonged to a tradition other than modernism, which implies that critics had been reading her in relation to modernism.

III. It is based on the work of late-eighteenth-century women writers.

Not supported. The passage mentions late-eighteenth-century women writers separately, in connection with the development of nineteenth-century fiction. It does not say Woolf’s work was based on them.

Answer: (C)

When literary periods are defined on the basis of mens writing, women

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When literary periods are defined on the basis of mens writing, women

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