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...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
The potential of female love to transform and redeem immoral male behaviour is a theme that can be seen in three novels: Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847), Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (1847)...Show moreThe potential of female love to transform and redeem immoral male behaviour is a theme that can be seen in three novels: Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847), Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (1847), and Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848). This thesis will examine to what extent these novels perpetuate the romanticised ideal of women as the moral and spiritual saviours of men. Through their portrayal of abusive, oppressive or otherwise problematic relationships, the Brontës explore how much influence a woman truly holds over a man’s behaviour. In doing so they navigate different perspectives on whether this ideal makes women submissive or empowered. Rather than subverting the idea of female moral authority, I argue that Jane Eyre and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall reshape the idea to include the possibility for female agency and independence instead of self-sacrifice, whereas Wuthering Heights rejects the concept of moral authority as gendered.Show less
This MA thesis explores the independence of the working heroines in Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre (1847), Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848), and Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding...Show moreThis MA thesis explores the independence of the working heroines in Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre (1847), Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848), and Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd (1874). The heroines establish and maintain their independence by performing the profession of governess, artist, or farmer, while the love interests threaten the women's independence by encroaching upon their professions. This thesis shows that all three novels are simultaneously ahead of their time in relation to the working women and very much of their time in relation to Victorian conventions.Show less
This thesis discusses Victorian gender roles in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, George Eliot’s Middlemarch and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The Victorian Era had strict ideas about gender roles, which can...Show moreThis thesis discusses Victorian gender roles in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, George Eliot’s Middlemarch and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The Victorian Era had strict ideas about gender roles, which can be seen in the literature from that time. Jane Eyre is the earliest novel that is discussed and it presents a complex view of masculinity and femininity. It might seem, at first glance, that the characters are mostly conforming to the gender roles, but it becomes clear that the lines between both genders are blurred. This is also the case in Middlemarch, where meddling wives and insecure husbands destroy their own marriages and happiness. This nuanced view of both male and female characters defies the rigid gender roles of the time. Dracula, on the other hand, is focussed on femininity rather than masculinity. Manliness is still important in the novel, but the main focus is on the transformation women undergo when they are turned into vampires. The perfect woman turns into an evil seductress when she is bitten by Dracula, and her misdeeds are harshly punished. This black and white view of femininity, or gender in general, is absent in the other novels.Show less
