Feminism has placed language firmlu on the political agenda. A 'feminist critiqwue of language' now undeniably exists: its influence on public, and especially academinc discourse has grown to the point where those with an interest in literary of social theory can no longer dismiss it. Feminist views on language are varied and complex, with contributions from a broad spectrum of disciplines and theoretical perspectives, some of them notoriously 'difficult' for the student. This selection of new and wide-ranging writings on language, gender, and feminist thought brings together important articles from linguistics and literary crticism. Broader in scope than existing texts, the volume makes availlavle material which is hard to find and collects in a single volume material which is widely scattered. Itt docuaments the diversity of the field and makdes the devate accessible by porviding helpful introcustions and annotations. Giving a clear overview, it makes sense of the way the field has developed chromologically and clarifies similarities and differednes of approach within it.