The Research On The Black Feminist Literary Criticism Of Bell Hooks

With the deep development of feminist movement in the 1970s, black feminist began to criticize the hegemony of mainstream feminism and request their position and contribution in the feminist movement. Under this situation, bell hooks, as the representative of academic, was well-known because of her unique writing style and her critical discourse which characterize the black culture. With her works growing and her international influence upgrading, hooks became the focus of American critics.As a radical black feminist in both feminist movement and theory, the popularization of her critical methods and her localization of gender perspective as well as the sensation of concerning the reality, bell hooks brought new ideas to black feminist criticism, she also complemented and regulated the mainstream feminism. Besides, in restituting women's true image which covered by history and constructing harmonious gender relations as well as constructing feminist standpoint in women's literary tradition, bell hooks' thinking brought a lot of inspirations to women's writing and women's studies in China. Because of hooks' academic contributions and international influences as well as her instructing chinese women's studies, this thesis on the basis of extensive reference of hooks'and other black feminists, adopting historical analysis,text elucidation and comparative research methods, places hooks in black fenimist criticism and the whole course of fenimist criticism, highlighting her unique contributions to black feminism especially the whole course of feminism.First, this thesis introduces hooks' development of thoughts, besides, it also introduces America's social and cultural backgrounds which influences hooks' black fenimist criticism. This thesis classifies four topics of hooks' criticism, including black women's writing, black women's literary tradition, black women's images and sisterhood, reflects and criticizes her thoughts on the basis of introducing hooks' thoughts. Hooks concerned black women's writing, she proposed "dialogical discourse of criticism"on the foundation of African philosophy, which mixed majority discourse and minority discourse, standard English and vernacular patois. She tried to break the boundary between academic discourse and mass discourse, representing identity exploration in black fenimist criticism. Hooks criticized the mistakes of black women's autobiographical writing. Black female autobiographical writers revealed the physical and psychological harm of sexism and racism to them as well as proposed their desire. This action is revolutionary, but precisely became hooks' concern. She was cautious about the attitude of writing. Hooks approved autobiographical writing, but she opposed exposed autobiographical writing for the purpose of fame and wealth. Because of the review system, the critics, the media, the lack of fianacial assistance, the market-oriented role as well as black male's rejection and hostility, black women's literary tradition was not clear. Hooks excavated Tony Cade Bambara as well as Lorraine Hansberry and gave them the correct evaluation, bringing Jazz and southern residential houses into the styles of black women's tradition.Hooks generalized some forms of black women's images, including prostitute, mammy and matriarch. She revealed racism, sexism and classism tactics behind these images and gave the tactics of restituting black women's real images. "Sisterhood" was another important subject in hooks' black feminist criticism.In hooks opinion,because of the complicated relationship between black women and black men as well as white women, it was of great difficulity in women's alliance. Hooks believed that it was necessary to keep difference between women. Throught hooks black feminist criticism, except the unique features, her limitation is obvious. She neglects the other women's writing in the Third world. There are also some paradoxes in her theory. But her black feminist criticism is of great value and significance in the whole feminist criticism.