A Feminist Criticism of Dickens' "Great Expectations"

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A Feminist Criticism of Dickens' "Great Expectations"

Of all the modern theories that are embraced under the umbrella-term of `critical Theory', feminist criticism is undoubtedly the most agreeable to apply. Drawing on notions and theories from psychoanalytical criticism, post-structuralism, deconstruction, and Marxist criticism, it seeks to bring to light the inequality between the sexes in literature, and how our entire social ideology is in fact structured according to `the male gaze'. As Barry points out in Beginning Theory, the representation of women in literature ."..provided the role models which indicated to women, and men, what constituted acceptable versions of the `feminine' and legitimate feminine goals and aspirations." (122)

It can be argued, then, that literature had in fact been a vehicle for indoctrination and control that had succeeded in ensuring that women conform to a stereotype based on unequal expectations - namely catering solely to the expectations of men. The voice of woman was either silent, or quietly fell on deaf ears. Particularly in 19th century fiction as well as in reality, a woman's fate lay in her being able to find a husband, and one of good repute and manner. This is easily identifiable in Dickens' Great Expectations. Even the books written by women - which were comparatively few - seem to follow the socially constructed male ideals of a woman's `place', such as Austin's Sense and Sensibility.

Barry notes that feminist criticism has divided into factions that follow certain aspects of feminism in literature, "The Anglo-Americans version [...] maintain[s] a major interest in traditional critical concepts like theme, motif and characterisation...has a ...

... middle of paper ...

...ts out in Dickens and Women, "Dickens' wife noticed his greater harshness towards Elizabeth...Even his fathers imprisonment is made to seem a direct result of her incompetence." (10)

So it would seem that Dickens' own issues with the women in his life greatly influenced his perception of women, and this he projected onto society with his novels - fuelling the cycle of inequality which imprisoned women for so long.

Works Cited

Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory. Manchester University Press, 2002.

Bashi, Janice. "Charles Dickens' Image Of Women." http://www.umd.umich.edu/casl/hum/eng/classes/434/geweb/WOMENING.htm. 30/03/2004

Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993.

Slater, Michael. Dickens and Women. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP, 1983.

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