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This article aims to explore the fruitful possibilities of dialogue between Levinas' ethics and feminism, by examining the two different approaches to Levinas' ethical project in feminist circles－Irigaray's critical response and Guenther's apologetic appropriation. With these connections in mind, this article first introduces some of the main themes of Levinas' ethical thought, such as the Other, Infinity, the face-to-face, responsibility, and then traces the concepts of the feminine, eros, fecundity, and the maternal in his philosophy. I then convey the rich and intricate texture of Irigaray's critical discussion of Levinas. Irigaray attacks both Levinas' patriarchal view of eros and his concept of the feminine as means to reinforce traditional stereotypes. I closely examine Guenther's feminist re-reading of Levinas' concept of responsibility. Unlike Irigaray, Guenther reads Levinas as a feminist ally. Guenther rewrites Levinas' ethical concepts through a feminist reading of two central figures in his work: hospitality and maternity. According to Guenther, Levinasian hospitality is the action of welcoming the stranger in one's home without asking why he/she deserves it or what one will get in return. Guenther also shows that to be responsible is not only to welcome the stranger into one's home, but to bear him/her in the flesh, despite the tremendous pain that one's bearing might bring. Guenther's reading of Levinas is in accordance with Levinas' framework of asymmetry in the human relationship, which rejects the traditional exchange of “give and take.” After addressing the most contentious issues regarding Levinas' importance for contemporary feminism, I turn to Please Take Care of Mom, by Shin Kyung Sook, a Korean feminist novelist, in an attempt to move beyond Guenther's feminist reading of Levinas and suggest a creative way of responding to the Other, namely through writing.
