Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Roles of women within the Gothic
- femme fatale
- openly sexual, uses sexuality to manipulate men
- this behaviour represents dystopian world in which patriarchy is usurped
- often outcast/rejected from society as a result of transgrassions
- this is done through a physical or social death, in which she is labelled a 'fallen women'
- restores order and patriarchal society
- e.g. Isabella from 'Northanger Abbey'
- e.g. Beatrice from 'The Changeling'
- innocent/trembling victim
- e.g. Elizabeth and Justine - 'Frankenstein'
- threatened by supernatural/monster/tyrannical male/patriarchal society/basically anything
- maternal figure
- most likely a trembling victim before she became a maternal figure
- respected by society and reader
- due to traditional and expected fulfilment of her role as a woman
- rescued by heroic male figure to become maternal figure
- essential to a 'good' upbringing of child
- teaches children emotional intelligence
- easily expendable within Gothic context
- helps create 'Gothic' childhood
- due to lack of maternal figure
- therefore child grows up with lack of emotional intelligence and a sense of abandonment
- leaves potential for 'evil stepmother' figure to take her place
- Freudian concept of 'Oedipus complex'
- male protagonists are sexually attracted to mother
- this transgresses normal social boundaries, which again is an element of Gothic
- e.g. Victor Frankenstein's nightmare in which he kisses his love Elizabeth who transforms into his dead mother's corpse
- symbolic of repressed sexual feelings towards mother
- e.g. Caroline in Shelley's 'Frankenstein'
- Gothic heroine
- arguably Eleanor Tilney from 'Northanger Abbey'
- can best be described as...
- an innocent/trembling victim,
- placed in a situation in which they could transgress and become a femme fatale
- who manages to overcome this situation and refrain from transgression
- shows strong will, bravery, courage, strong moral compass