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When I enrolled in the virtuous course of 17th century renaissance literature, I gave myself to learning how to read comprehension of authors such as Christopher Marlowe and Sir Philip Sidney. The plays and poems of these extraordinary writers, typical of the Renaissance period, enriched the minds of their readers. I recall reading Sidney’s praise of poets, how they are noble professionals with duties of greater importance than philosophers and historians. It was Sidney who said that the poet draws the mind more effectually than any other art.

If Sidney’s praise and argumentation do not satisfy you, I will provide you with a more prevalent example from the 20th century. As I have recently begun the study of feminist literature, I am provoked to speak to you in the defense of many literary feminist works and those female authors who wrote them. Yet I must say that I am not the most credible student to be doing so since I too have fallen prey to the stereotypes assigned to feminist literature—portraying it as man-hating documentation. But I bring you proof that feminist literature does not mean to exclude men, but rather focuses on the experiences of women.

For a great length of time, female writers did not display their works to the world as their own, but under the masks of male names. The Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Anne, and Emily, published a book of poems under the pseudonyms of Currer, Acton, and Ellis Bell in 1846. Even in 1967, S.E. Hinton wrote "The Outsiders," a novel about the experiences of adolescent boys, without revealing her full female identity to her audience. But then there were authors like Kate Chopin, and the modern Amy Tan, Julia Alvarez, and Michelle Cliff who exercised their true identities in female-based literature.

Without Alvarez’s "In the Time of the Butterflies," the typical historian would not be able to verify the experiences of the Mirabal sisters, heroines of the Dominican Republic involved in the June 14th Movement to overthrow the dictator Rafael Leonida Trujillo Molina in control from 1930-1961. It is with this novel, a tribute to the Dominican “butterflies,” that we learn of their childhood, their sacrifices, and the events leading to their dedication to ending the rule of Trujillo. The Dominican Republic honors Minerva, Maria Teresa, and Patria Mirabal as national heroines and saviors. The celebration of the International Day Against Violence Towards Women on November 25 exists in their memory. However, various historical texts have failed to tell the story of the Mirabal sisters. Without this novel, their devotion might very well have been dismissed by future generations.

And if it were not for Kate Chopin’s "The Storm" or "The ‘Cadian Ball," the philosopher would not be able to comprehend the female response to the ability to choose.

Even Amy Tan’s "The Joy Luck Club" has impacted the understanding of women of Asian decent. In her novel about four Chinese women who left China for America during a time of war between Japan and China, Tan illustrates the lives of the women as immigrants in American struggling to survive and raise American daughters. So neither the philosopher, nor the historian, would be able to enter the realm of the female soul without experiencing the works of women, just as poetry is necessary for the historian and philosopher as well.

Feminist literature, therefore, is an art focusing on the experiences of women and the liberation of all people. It speaks of the struggles and oppression of women and other minorities in regards to class, race, and gender. It has allowed readers to appreciate the value of the woman as a powerful entity whose existence is equivalent to that of a man. It is not an outlet for the oppressed female to bash the superior male. Instead it is a haven for equality and womanhood—a celebration of a woman’s abilities and thoughts.

Thus by writing feminist literature, your name shall flourish as an advocate for equality. Thus by reading feminist literature, your knowledge base shall expand to include a woman’s perspective. Thus with both reading and writing feminist literature, you shall contribute to the liberation of all people. Yet this much I say on behalf of all feminist literature—the preservation of female experience and equality among all.