Beyond the Castle Walls: The Representation of the Sexes in Gothic Fiction
| Thesis title in Czech: | Za Zdmi Hradu: Reprezentace Pohlaví v Gotické Fikci |
|---|---|
| Thesis title in English: | Beyond the Castle Walls: The Representation of the Sexes in Gothic Fiction |
| Key words: | Gothic fikce|evoluce žánru|Viktoriánská literatura|historická reprezentace|genderová politika |
| English key words: | Gothic fiction|genre evolution|Victorian literature|historical representation|gender politics |
| Academic year of topic announcement: | 2023/2024 |
| Thesis type: | diploma thesis |
| Thesis language: | angličtina |
| Department: | Department of Anglophone Literatures and Cultures (21-UALK) |
| Supervisor: | doc. Clare Wallace, M.A., Ph.D. |
| Author: | hidden - assigned and confirmed by the Study Dept. |
| Date of registration: | 03.03.2024 |
| Date of assignment: | 04.03.2024 |
| Administrator's approval: | approved |
| Confirmed by Study dept. on: | 04.03.2024 |
| Submitted/finalized: | no |
| Guidelines |
| My thesis will focus on the representation of the sexes in Gothic fiction. At the end of the eighteenth century, when the genre was still nascent, there was a clear distinction between the roles men and women played in the plot. For the most part, female protagonists tended to occupy the role of the nurturers, the supporters, or the endangered sufferers; while their male counterparts would commonly assume the role of the doer, the protector, or the plot-driver. Conversely, antagonistic female roles would generally be deceivers, seductresses, or manipulators; while antagonistic male characters would often play the part of ruthless grand-schemers or monsters. At least superficially, then it can be noted that the contrasting groups of roles of women in Gothic fiction correspond to the dual role of the woman in Christian tradition; she is, most famously, Eve, the eternal condemner of mankind, and simulatenously Virgin Mary the Mother of God. This research intends to explore the evolution of male and female roles within the genre from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth century, beginning with the following questions: In what ways did the roles of the sexes develop in Gothic fiction during its first 150 years? How do different writers handle gender roles in their narratives? What factors contribute to the changes in character roles? The thesis will explore the evolution of the Gothic genre within its historical context, alongside close readings of specific significant novels. Primary texts include: The Monk: A Romance (1796) by Matthew Gregory Lewis, The Italian (1796) by Ann Radcliffe, Jane Eyre (1847) by Charlotte Brontë, Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker, and Rebecca (1938) by Daphne du Maurier. |
| References |
| Brontë, Charlotte. 2015. Jane Eyre. London: Oberon Books. Davison, Carol Margaret. “The Female Gothic.” In History of the Gothic: Gothic Literature 1764-1824, 1st ed., 83–110. University of Wales Press, 2009. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt9qhhjn.9. Du Maurier, Daphne., and Terry. O'Brien. 2020. Rebecca. La Vergne: New Central Book Agency. Hogle, Jerrold E. 2003. The Cambridge Companion to Gothic Fiction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hogle, Jerrold E., and Robert Miles. 2019. The Gothic and Theory: an Edinburgh Companion. Edinburgh, Scotland: Edinburgh University Press. Horner, Avril, Avril Horner, and Sue Zlosnik. 2016. Women and the Gothic: an Edinburgh companion. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780748699131. Killeen, Jarlath. 2013. The Emergence of Irish Gothic Fiction: History, Origins, Theories. 1st ed. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.https://doi.org/10.3366/j.ctt9qdrh2. Lewis, M. G. (Matthew Gregory), and E. A. Baker. 1922. The Monk: a Romance. Second impression. London: Routledge. Radcliffe, Ann. The Italian, Or, The Confessional of the Black Penitents: A Romance. Oxford University Press, 2017. Smith, Andrew, and William Hughes. 2012. The Victorian Gothic an Edinburgh Companion. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780748654970. Stoker, Bram, and Roger Luckhurst. 2020. Dracula. [New ed.]. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Wallace, Diana. 2013. Female Gothic Histories: Gender, History and the Gothic. Cardiff, [Wales: University of Wales Press. Whelan, Lara Baker. Class, Culture and Suburban Anxieties in the Victorian Era. Vol. 4. Routledge, 2011. |