2. To know the key ways that women are presented in Gothic literature
Women in the Gothic
To know the key ways that women are presented in Gothic literature
To understand why Gothic literature might be of interest to feminist critics
To be able to apply these typical Gothic character types to the texts that we are studying

3. Memory task
Think back to Mrs Humphries critical anthology lesson on feminist literary criticism
What are the key representations of female characters that feminists recognise in literature?

4. Gothic fiction has become a popular area for feminist studies.
Thinking about the two texts that you are currently studying, as well as any other Gothic texts that you know, why might it be such an important area of study for feminist critics?

5. The 18th Century Woman In the mid 1800s women had few rights
Expected to be subservient to men
Denied the vote
Denied the right to own property
Culturally they are expected to refrain from expressing themselves openly in the presence of men
Expected to be pure, pleasant and supportive of men
BUT…
These rigid roles were just starting to change and female writers reflected this in their writing
Some argue that female readers were able to enjoy independence indirectly through the actions of female characters
Hence the “Female Gothic” begins

6. Female Characters in Gothic Texts
Gothic fiction has become a popular area for feminist studies. Many commentators have noticed how females in Gothic fiction often fall into one of two categories: the trembling and innocent victim or the shameless and dangerous predator. However, others have noticed how women writers have often used the Gothic to explore aspects of femininity and sexuality. The mad woman in the attic in Jane Eyre has become a key symbol of Gothic feminism.
Feminist critics point out the unusual presence of strong female characters in Gothic novels.
Their independent behaviour was often criticised by contemporaries of the novels

7. The persecuted maiden / The trembling victim
The trembling victim: frail, blonde, silent, passive, helpless and innocent.
A representative of “respectable” society, largely silent, passive and wide-eyed.
The virginal maid is often the subject of men’s desire.
Gothic-horror has a tendency to position the woman as victim.
Fear and terror portrayed through her often over exaggerated reactions.

8. The persecuted maiden / The trembling victim
She is often shown fleeing a rapacious and predatory male.
However, at times she is made to feel sympathy for the monster which pursues her.
Feminist studies have suggested the woman’s occasional sympathy for the monster may represent the exclusion of both from the power structures of conventional society
She may also play the traditional role of the trapped princess, awaiting the saviour prince.
Typical examples include: Mina in Dracula, Elizabeth in Frankenstein, Ophelia in Hamlet, Fay Wray in King Kong

9. Key conventions Imprisonment Persecution Disinheritance
Various forms of haunting

10. Consider…
With any gothic text you read, to what extent are women suppressed or marginalised within the story?

11. Elizabeth in Frankenstein
In what ways is she a persecuted Maiden?
Which extracts might demonstrate this?

12. The femme fatale
The other typical gothic female is sharply contrasting female predator.
A dangerous creature, offering a real sexual threat.
Often punished in their story for their transgressions.
Some feel the powerful femme fatale represents emancipated women who no longer submit to male control.
Examples are: Lady Macbeth, Dracula’s brides

13. Threatening and dangerous women are a staple part of vampire stories and bring with them unsettling images of sexual aggression and illicit desires.
Gothic authors are often able to use female characters as a means of exploring material otherwise off limits.

14. Dracula – Female Vampires
Read the description of the vampires from Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula (1897) and identify what seem to you to be significant features of their presentation.
How are the feelings and desires carefully balanced here, and what does this tell us about the effects of the vampires on the narrator?

15. Female Sexuality
They may explore sexual aggression and illicit desires; they may be objects of male fantasy.
Female writers may use the women characters in a different way to men, to explore aspects of their own femininity and sexuality.
Female sexuality was often used to denote strength, rebelliousness and evil
How might male writers present female characters within Gothic writing?

16. “Appearing as nefarious [wicked or criminal] seductresses, female characters in Gothic novels were often demons or villains who were punished or made to see the error of their ways at the story’s end”
Gothic Literature (Ed. Jessica Bamarito)

17. The mother figure
The dominating father is a key presence in the gothic but the role of the mother is also central to some narratives.
In Frankenstein, Victor usurps the mother’s role by bringing the monster to life, causing an offence against nature.
In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth says she would be prepared to sacrifice her children for Macbeth to be king.
In many Gothic stories the mother is a destructive character.

18. The monstrous mother also plays a part in some gothic narratives
In The Monk, Antonio’s mother is slaughtered; however, in The Bloody Chamber, Angela Carter changes the mother’s role - she appears as the knight in shining armour to rescue her daughter.
The absent mother in the Gothic is an area of interest for psychoanalytical critics.
They are often presented in such a way as to challenge the stereotypical image of a mother as a comforting, protective figure.

19. Female characters play a very significant role in Gothic texts.
The stories may play out a battle between the sexes or explore the uneasy relationship between pain and love.
Women in the texts may be absent or marginalised.
Female characters may be used to express feeling and heighten terror.
The validation of marriage became a common theme
The female gothic character’s role has changed from the original Gothic stories of the 18th and 19th century to Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber.
Angela Carter was particularly interested in the portrayal of women as victims of male aggression as a limiting factor in the feminist perspective of the time. Her argument was that women need not accept that role and she uses The Bloody Chamber to explore how that may be achieved

20. Evolution of the Female Gothic
In later novels roles were often reversed and male characters were victimized.
In 20th century Gothic female writers often explore the idea of feeling or appearing to be “freakish” by being outside of traditional roles. They may explore the idea of feeling stifled by repressive roles.
Mental health and its treatment is sometimes a theme.
Examples include Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Carter’s “The Bloody Chamber”.

21. Evolution of the Female Gothic
In later novels roles were often reversed and male characters were victimized.
In 20th century Gothic female writers often explore the idea of feeling or appearing to be “freakish” by being outside of traditional roles. They may explore the idea of feeling stifled by repressive roles.
Mental health and its treatment is sometimes a theme.
Examples include Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Carter’s “The Bloody Chamber”.

22. It has frequently been suggested that an important role of the females in gothic texts is to express feelings, often as a means of heightening terror.
It is possible to view the flight of gothic maidens as a fantasy of escape from constraints within a paternalistic world.