Gynocriticism in Snapshots of a Daughter-in-law by Adrienne Rich

Abstract

Feminist literary criticism has been spreading widely just like female writers in the contemporary time. Rich’s poem Snapshots of a Daughter-in-law depicts female’s life which is also divided just like the snap shots. This research paper is depicting the application of Elaine Showalter’s Gynocriticism in Rich’s Snapshots of a Daughter-in-law which is also talking about the female as the writer. The paper shows how it is a work of art by a female, for a female as it is an interaction between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law. The three phases ‘feminine, feminist and female’ given by Elaine Showalter is also reflected in Adrienne Rich’s poem by the researcher. The conversation done between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law is presented in the poem. The phases of imitation, revolt and self-discovery are given as three phases of female literary history by Elaine Showalter which is critically analyzed with the close reading of poem by researcher in Rich’s poem Snapshots of a Daughter-in-law. Even the concepts of Gynocriticism are depicted from between the lines in this poem.