Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Portraying Women: Otranto vs Glenfinlas
In the tale of Glenfinlas by Sir Walter Scott, two men are seduced by a women in green who bears a striking resemblance to the mythological seductress archetype of the "otherworldly" women. This is in clear contrast to the women of The Castle of Otranto who are forced to manipulating events or quietly accepting their fate. The fact that The Lady of the Wood is in charge of her femininity, in that she is complete control of who she loves and is accountable to no one but herself for her actions. Contrasting this is Hippolita who gives up everything of herself for her husband who leaves for a younger woman. These women portray to opposite but important sides of how women were thought of by society, where as Hippolita portrays self sacrifice for the so-called good of her family the Lady of the Wood is purely unchecked desire with no thought or caring beyond what she wants.
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I agree with your interpretation of how women were seen during this time. They were seen as either subservient and quiet or immoral seductresses. I found it interesting that there seems to not be a middle ground between the two views. In most gothic work the women are forlorn and in need of assistance. They are characterized as weak women who must show compliance. If they do not, something dreadful happens and then the gothic unfolds. The other extreme is that if the women are not considered quiet and weak, they must then be sirens or seductresses. Any time a potential strong female lead is presented, something horrific happens to her. This seems to be a characteristic of the gothic. Many gothic works show the inequality that women faced during and before this time.
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