The Female Gothic Subtext:Gender Politics in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper
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Date
2007-01
Authors
Pazhavila, Angie
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Lethbridge Undergraduate Research Journal
Abstract
This essay examines how Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and Charlotte
Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper found, in the conventions of the
Gothic genre, a forum in which to address the universality of female
suffering, as well as introduce progressive notions for the modification of
female conduct. Gothic literature, while allowing the reader to live
vicariously through the heroine's ordeals in a world of danger and mystery,
also provided women authors with the ideal medium in which to conceal
radical critiques of the gender politics of their age. Socialist and humanist
values are prevalent in both texts, and while Jane Eyre is an educational
novel, aiming to show the reader what happens when the protagonist has
integrity, and fights for her rights, The Yellow Wallpaper is a cautionary
tale, warning readers of the result when the protagonist does not fight back
against those who would oppress her.
Description
Keywords
Brontë, Charlotte, 1816-1855 -- Characters -- Women , Gilman, Charlotte Perkins, 1860-1935. Yellow wallpaper , Gothic revival (Literature)
Citation
Pazhavila, Angie (2007). The Female Gothic Subtext: Gender Politics in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper. Lethbridge Undergraduate Research Journal, 1(2).