&quot;I am my own mistress&quot;: Examining the Role of Marriage in the Female Gothic's Quest for Freedom in A Sicilian Romance and Jane Eyre

This thesis examines the role of marriage and gender relations in two influential Gothic novels, namely A Sicilian Romance by Ann Radcliffe and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. Both novels belong to the sub-genre of ‘Female Gothic’ and deal with female protagonists who are victims of oppression by patriarchal figures. Female Gothic heroines rebel against their oppressors and are often successful in achieving some sort of freedom or independence. This striving for freedom can be defined as their ‘quest for freedom’. In their oppression, marriage fulfils a central role, as it is used to satisfy the selfish desires of their male superiors without any regards to their opinion. Simultaneously, however, marriage seems to serve as a key in the escape from their oppression, resulting in an interesting antithesis concerning the function and role of marriage in these novels. This raises the question of whether these marriages at the end actually align with the Female Gothic’s quest for freedom...Show moreThis thesis examines the role of marriage and gender relations in two influential Gothic novels, namely A Sicilian Romance by Ann Radcliffe and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. Both novels belong to the sub-genre of ‘Female Gothic’ and deal with female protagonists who are victims of oppression by patriarchal figures. Female Gothic heroines rebel against their oppressors and are often successful in achieving some sort of freedom or independence. This striving for freedom can be defined as their ‘quest for freedom’. In their oppression, marriage fulfils a central role, as it is used to satisfy the selfish desires of their male superiors without any regards to their opinion. Simultaneously, however, marriage seems to serve as a key in the escape from their oppression, resulting in an interesting antithesis concerning the function and role of marriage in these novels. This raises the question of whether these marriages at the end actually align with the Female Gothic’s quest for freedom and independence. Therefore, this thesis examines to what extent Julia’s and Jane’s marriage in the novels A Sicilian Romance and Jane Eyre align with the overarching theme of freedom and independence of Female Gothic. I will do so by examining Julia’s and Jane’s quests for freedom and independence more closely in relation to the meaning of marriage in both novels. I will argue that Julia’s marriage in A Sicilian Romance is successful in strengthening the novel’s theme of freedom, as it shows that marriage in itself is not the equivalent of imprisonment and that it even catalyses her desire for freedom, causing her to actively oppose her arranged marriage. Jane’s marriage in Jane Eyre, however, undermines the novel’s theme of independence, as it shows her willingness to forgo her principles for the judgemental and possessive love of Rochester. Even though at the end of the novel, they reach equality, neither of them is able to recognize nor accept it, strengthening Jane’s feeling of inferiority.Show less

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"I am my own mistress": Examining the Role of Marriage in the Female Gothic's Quest for Freedom in A Sicilian Romance and Jane Eyre