“女性主义”一词源于法国,后来流传于欧美各国,有着妇女解放的意味。20世纪初期,西方国家的妇女都获取了平等的政治权利,但在经济、社会、文化等领域的男女不平等还屡见不鲜,女权主义者将性别权利、性别歧视等问题作为理论研究与社会实践的重点,反对一切形式的男女不平等,从而推动了女性主义文学的发展。如今,女性主义文学已成为美国主流文学中不可或缺的组成部分。一、早期美国女性主义文学及其特点 “Feminism ” originates from France, later spread to Europe and the United States, with the liberation of women means. Women in western countries acquired equal political rights in the early twentieth century, but men and women inequality in the economic, social and cultural fields were not uncommon. Feminists used gender issues and gender discrimination as their theoretical research and social practice Focus on and oppose all forms of inequality between men and women, thus promoting the development of feminist literature. Today, feminist literature has become an integral part of mainstream American literature. First, the early American feminist literature and its characteristics