Gender roles in the Victorian Era were strict and well-defined. A typical female was seen as “weak, frail, and hysterical” (Stearns 2012). The ideal woman was seen as an angel of the house, one in which would perfect domestic duties and constantly be placed under the patriarchal nature of society, while also being weak, frail, and hysterical. Authors Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens both challenge this traditional view of women in society. Collins and Dickens do not adhere to representing strictly construed gender roles. However, the ways in which the two authors challenge these roles differ. Collin’s challenges society’s definition of an ideal woman by his character Marian Halcombe, a strong female character who portrays typically male traits for the Victorian Era. Dickens also challenges the Victorian ideal woman, but challenges it by placing value in his character Nancy, a prostitute with an extremely positive moral value.
Wilkie Collins’s challenges the Victorian era’s typical female gender role in his book The Woman in White with one of the main narrators, Marian Halcombe. His narrative style of writing depicts the story from multiple first person points of view. Marian Halcombe’s diary is one of the most significant to the novel. Collins’s novel is known for challenging gender roles, and Marian Halcombe doesn’t go unnoticed by critics. His novel includes a “strong thematic concern with how the identities of all Victorian women were constituted and regulated” (Liddle 2009) in this society. Marian’s masculinity, however, challenges the typical female gender role for Victorian society, and the respect Marian receives delivers Collins point that women do not need to be weak to be admirable.
Marian is respected in the nove...
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...e sympathetic approach to his challenging actions, by including a prostitute with a heart of gold and forcing readers to see her as more than just a prostitute, but also as a human being with a good heart and kind soul.
Works Cited
Collins, Wilkie. The Woman in White. New York, NY: Barnes & Noble, 2005. Print.
Dickens, Charles. Oliver Twist. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1993. Print.
Hyder, Clyde. "Wilkie Collins and the Woman in White." PMLA 54.1 (1939): 297-303. Web.
Lennox, Sara. "Bachmann Reading/Reading Bachmann Wilkie Collins's the Woman in White in the Todesarten." The German Quarterly 61.2 (1988): 183-92. Web.
Liddle, Dallas. "Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White (1859-60)." Victorian Review 35.1 (2009): 37-41. Web.
Meyer, Susan. "Antisemitism and Social Critique in Dickens's "Oliver Twist"" Victorian Literature and Culture 33.1 (2005): 239-52. Web.
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During the Victorian Era, society had idealized expectations that all members of their culture were supposedly striving to accomplish. These conditions were partially a result of the development of middle class practices during the “industrial revolution… [which moved] men outside the home… [into] the harsh business and industrial world, [while] women were left in the relatively unvarying and sheltered environments of their homes” (Brannon 161). This division of genders created the ‘Doctrine of Two Spheres’ where men were active in the public Sphere of Influence, and women were limited to the domestic private Sphere of Influence. Both genders endured considerable pressure to conform to the idealized status of becoming either a masculine ‘English Gentleman’ or a feminine ‘True Woman’. The characteristics required women to be “passive, dependent, pure, refined, and delicate; [while] men were active, independent, coarse …strong [and intelligent]” (Brannon 162). Many children's novels utilized these gendere...
The character of Esther is widely criticized for her perfection as a character, both receiving positive acclaims and negative feedback. Esther’s reserved, quiet character illustrates the role of women during the Victorian period and what little impact on society women played. Critics of Bleak House generally praise the narration and Dickens’s use of Esther’s character, which gives direction to the novel.
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Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre may be superficially read as simply a sweet romance in which Jane ends up with the man of her dreams after overcoming many obstacles and challenges. But doing so misses the much deeper—richer—messages of Bronte's lasting masterpiece. A more thoughtful reading reveals this novel, especially its heroine Jane, challenging centuries-old gender roles which assume male supremacy, characterizing men as the dominant, more privileged gender, while women are oppressed into inferior and submissive roles. Of course this Victorian novel portrays the expected gender roles of both men and women in 19th century England, but Jane rises out of the patriarchy challenging the social roles assigned her with a personality marked by sass and self-assurance . Ms. Bronte, through Jane, ultimately demonstrates that women can live their lives on equal terms with—or independent of—men.
During the 1800s, society believed there to be a defined difference in character among men and women. Women were viewed simply as passive wives and mothers, while men were viewed as individuals with many different roles and opportunities. For women, education was not expected past a certain point, and those who pushed the limits were looked down on for their ambition. Marriage was an absolute necessity, and a career that surpassed any duties as housewife was practically unheard of. Jane Austen, a female author of the time, lived and wrote within this particular period. Many of her novels centered around women, such as Elizabeth Bennet of Pride and Prejudice, who were able to live independent lives while bravely defying the rules of society. The roles expected of women in the nineteenth century can be portrayed clearly by Jane Austen's female characters of Pride and Prejudice.
In the Victorian Era of mid nineteen to early twentieth century, a woman’s role in society remained to be in the household, away from the business and cares of men. The feminine side is portrayed as negative, powerless, and lacking (Kileen 49). Society discouraged women from having power in society and neglecting women represented normal in the eyes of most men and women. However, Victorian novels such as The Picture of Dorian Gray illustrate the consequences of disregarding women. In Oscar Wilde’s only novel, the lack of importance surrounding the female characters and their careless treatment from men results in the selfishness of the male characters exemplified through Dorian Gray’s acts of evil.
In the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries, the idea of patriarchy ruled the many societies all over the world. Particularly in Britain, its “overarching patriarchal model” (Marsh) had “reserved power and privilege for men” (Marsh). Also during this time period feminist literature began to arise and was invaded by, “the complex social, ethical, and economic roots of sexual politics… as testimony to gender bias and the double standard” (“Sexual Politics and Feminist Literature”). In Jane Austen’s writing, readers have been aware of her constant themes of female independence and gender equality. However, many have criticized the author for the fact that many of her “individualistic” female characters have ended up
It is the aim of this piece to consider how two elements are developed in the opening chapters of three classic novels written by 19th century English women: Emma, Wuthering Heights, and Jane Eyre, respectively. The elements to be considered are a) character; and b) character relationships. Consideration will be given to see how each opening chapter develops these two aspects, and the various approaches will be compared and contrasted as well.
In the novel ‘Great Expectations’ there are three women who Dickens portrays differently to his contemporary’s, writers such as Austen and Bronté, and to the typical 19th century woman. These three women go by the name of Mrs Joe (Pips sister), Miss Havisham, and Estella. Mrs Joe who is Pips sister and Mr Joe’s wife is very controlling and aggressive towards Pip and Mr Joe. ‘In knowing her to have a hard and heavy hand’. This shows Dickens has given Mrs Joe very masculine qualities, which is very unusual for a 19th century woman. Mr Joe has a very contrasting appearance and personality to Mrs Joe. ‘Joe was a fair man, with curls of flaxen hair on each side of his smooth face, and with eyes of such a very undecided blue that they seemed to have somehow got mixed with their own whites.’ In many ways Dickens has swapped the stereo type appearances and personalities of 19th century men and women. Dickens portrays Miss Havisham to be rich but lonely women. ‘I should acquit myself under that lady’s roof’. This shows Miss Havisham owns her own property which is Satis House. This woul...
“Girls wear jeans and cut their hair short and wear shirts and boots because it is okay to be a boy; for a girl it is like promotion. But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading, according to you, because secretly you believe that being a girl is degrading” (McEwan 55-56). Throughout the history of literature women have been viewed as inferior to men, but as time has progressed the idealistic views of how women perceive themselves has changed. In earlier literature women took the role of being the “housewife” or the household caretaker for the family while the men provided for the family. Women were hardly mentioned in the workforce and always held a spot under their husband’s wing. Women were viewed as a calm and caring character in many stories, poems, and novels in the early time period of literature. During the early time period of literature, women who opposed the common role were often times put to shame or viewed as rebels. As literature progresses through the decades and centuries, very little, but noticeable change begins to appear in perspective to the common role of women. Women were more often seen as a main character in a story setting as the literary period advanced. Around the nineteenth century women were beginning to break away from the social norms of society. Society had created a subservient role for women, which did not allow women to stand up for what they believe in. As the role of women in literature evolves, so does their views on the workforce environment and their own independence. Throughout the history of the world, British, and American literature, women have evolved to become more independent, self-reliant, and have learned to emphasize their self-worth.
Throughout Dickens’s Great Expectations, It is clear that most of the women are portrayed as being heartless, revengeful or violent. Thus this doesn’t give a impression of women, and shows that Dickens could have been gender bias, like most men were in the 19th and early 20th century. However this could have not been Dickens’s intension at all, as he also created very evil male characters such as Dolge Orlick.
In his novels, Charles Dickens depicted a wide range of female characters, both in terms of their social class and their various moral strengths and weaknesses. He wrote during the Victorian era when women were expected to be wives and mothers whose primary duty was to manage the household and perform domestic tasks. The ideal Victorian woman was also admired as having pure values and capable of self-sacrifice. In David Copperfield, the main protagonist suffers a lot during his childhood, but is able to obtain comfort through his interpersonal relationships with different women, two of whom are Dora Spenlow and Agnes Wickfield. David marries both of these women, and ironically, they are complete opposites of one another.