How do I analyze a text with feminist theory?

Depending on the text, you will want to look at the roles
of females in the novel and compare them with the roles of
males.

In particular, you will look for these main points
of criticism:

1.
 Differences between men and
women: "The basic assumption is that gender determines values and
language."  Notice the differences in topics that men and women talk about and how they
discuss them.  According to Deborah Tannen, for instance, men are "report talkers" (they
announce things for show), while women are "rapport talkers" (they speak to foster
intimacy).  She also says that all women are marked: by appearance (makeup, hair,
clothes, body) and language (topic, tone, cues).  In other words, women must battle
these markings in every day roles and conversations, and it is tough to do
so.

2.  Women in power or power relationships
between men and women: "Note and attack the social, economic, and
political exploitation of women."  Notice the division of labor in marriage, the home,
and work place.  Are men doing men's work only (segregation of gender roles)?  Or, are
men and women sharing the work (integration of gender
roles)?

3.  The female
experience: is the speaker, author, or protagonist female?  If so, how is
her point-of-view determined?  How are her experiences different from other females and
males?  How does she treat others?  Does she celebrate femininity and the roles of
mothers, wives, and independent women?

So says one feminist
author and critic:

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So, what has feminism taught me about literary
studies? That it is not "artistic value" or "universal themes" that keeps authors' works
alive. Professors decide which authors and themes are going to "count" by teaching them,
writing scholarly books and articles on them, and by making sure they appear in
dictionaries of literary biography, bibliographies, and in the grand narratives of
literary history. Reviewers decide who gets attention by reviewing them. Editors and
publishers decide who gets read by keeping them in print. And librarians decide what
books to buy and to keep on the shelves. Like the ancient storytellers who passed on the
tribes' history from generation to generation, these groups keep our cultural memory.
Therefore, we gatekeepers, who are biased humans living in and shaped by the
intellectual, cultural, and aesthetic paradigms of an actual historical period must
constantly reassess our methods, theories, and techniques, continually examining how our
own ethnicities, classes, genders, nationalities, and sexualities mold our critical
judgements.