In her analysis of Ophelia, Showalter examines how the character has been historically interpreted through a patriarchal lens that equates female distress with madness. She argues that Ophelia's narrative is consistently marginalized and subordinated to Hamlet's existential crisis. Showalter suggests that feminist criticism must challenge these traditional readings by reclaiming Ophelia's story, highlighting how her 'madness' is a direct consequence of the restrictive gender roles and patriarchal pressures imposed upon her within the play.

Elaine Showalter introduced this influential framework in her work 'A Literature of Their Own'. She categorized the evolution of women's writing into three stages: the 'feminine' phase, where women imitated male writers; the 'feminist' phase, where women protested against social standards; and the 'female' phase, where women focused on their own experiences and self-discovery. This model remains a cornerstone of feminist literary history and criticism.

Mary Wollstonecraft is a seminal figure in the history of feminism. Her 1792 treatise, 'A Vindication of the Rights of Woman', challenged the prevailing view that women were naturally inferior to men. She argued that women's perceived deficiencies were the result of a lack of education and societal restrictions. Her work provided a rational, philosophical basis for the movement, advocating for equal rights and opportunities for women long before the organized suffrage movements of the 19th century.

Contemporary literary theory frequently critiques the traditional canon for its historical exclusion of marginalized voices. Critics argue that the canon has been dominated by Western, male, and white perspectives, thereby neglecting the significant contributions of women, non-Western authors, and writers of color, which limits the scope of literary study and cultural representation.

Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's 'Epistemology of the Closet' is a foundational text in queer theory. It argues that the binary opposition between heterosexual and homosexual identities has been a primary structuring force in Western culture and literature. Sedgwick demonstrates that understanding the dynamics of the 'closet' and sexual identity is essential for a comprehensive analysis of cultural power, knowledge, and social relations.

Gynocriticism, a term coined by Elaine Showalter, advocates for the study of women as writers. It focuses on developing a female framework for the analysis of women's literature, emphasizing the need to recover and understand the history, styles, and themes of women's writing rather than merely reacting to male-authored texts.

Judith Butler argues that gender is not an innate biological essence but a performative act. It is produced through the repetitive stylization of the body, gestures, and behaviors that conform to societal norms. By 'performing' these roles, individuals create the illusion of a stable gender identity, which is actually a social construct rather than a reflection of an internal, pre-existing truth.

Mary Wollstonecraft is a seminal figure in feminist thought, best known for her work 'A Vindication of the Rights of Woman' (1792). She argued that women are not naturally inferior to men but appear so only because they lack education. While Cixous, Butler, and Irigaray are prominent theorists associated with second-wave and post-structuralist feminism, Wollstonecraft's early advocacy for women's rights places her firmly at the inception of the movement.

Coined by Hélène Cixous, 'écriture féminine' refers to a style of writing that seeks to subvert patriarchal linguistic structures. It encourages women to write from their own bodies and experiences, creating a fluid, non-linear form of expression that challenges traditional, masculine-dominated modes of discourse and representation in literature.

Judith Butler argues that gender is performative rather than an essential or biological truth. In her view, gender is a set of repeated acts and behaviors that are socially constructed and enforced through cultural norms. Because these acts are repeated over time, they create the illusion of a stable, natural gender identity, when in fact, gender is a fluid construct that is constantly being produced and reproduced by society.