Perception of Women

Women during Romanticism were expected to play a compliant role to men. Women had no rights, they were denied the right to vote or to own property, thus led to only one option, which was marriage. There roles were to marry young and reproduce. As a wife, they were to care for their husband and children, putting themselves last. They were expected to act proper and lady like and be pure, and innocent, subservient to men. In the Gothic period, women in literature are portrayed and treated differently in throughout diverse periods of the Gothic genre. Though there roles didn't change significantly, how they were perceived by artists and writers did.

            In the early writings of Gothic literature, women are seen as powerless and irrational. They come across as foolish and they are often subjugated by man. For instance, in The Castle of Otranto, by Horace Walpole, the women of the novel appear to be indecisive and submissive. Hippolita can be seen as an respectful, obedient wife to her husband, Manfred. "She would not only acquiesce with patience to divorce, but would obey, if it was his pleasure, in endeavoring to persuade Isabelle to give him her hand" (Walpole). Here, this line distinctly depicts how obedient and submissive Hippolita reacts to Manfred, and this type of behavior makes her weak. She basically forgoes all of her values and beliefs, solely for the purpose of keeping Manfred happy (Fitzgerald).

            Though these characteristics are strong within the women of the novel, Walpole perceives women in his novel a little differently than the way society looks at women. There are instances in the story when the female characters go against the grain. SMJ posted about the small instances of the atypical female behaviors, which seemed to open up the idea that not all women behave the way they are supposed to. Hippolita is an example of the women that do, while Isabella is the only character who realizes the dangers of Manfred and reacts to his advances. Isabella decides to go out on her own, when in reality during those times that was looked at as unacceptable. She doesn't submit to Manfred and eventually escapes.

It's also interesting that the cover of the book is centered around a female character. This picture captures a woman running away, which alludes to the character Isabella and her situation. It also creates the idea that women can stand up for themselves and not stay to be oppressed by man.

            Another female who does not act passive is Matilda. Her instincts tell her that something is not right and she disobeys her father, releasing Theodore from prison. These behaviors play an interesting role in the developmental changes of women because though there are accurate portals of how women should behave, there are other instances where the females as a vehicle to engage in the idea that women are more than just submissive, fragile beings.

            As the Gothic genre moved, the depictions of women shifted from the innocent and foolish to the alluring and sexually seductive. These women possessed unnatural beauty, being too beautiful, too perfect and this image resulted in the destruction of man and the corruption of women. Two poems such as "Christabel" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and "Lamia" by John Keats both depict two female characters that ooze alluring and sensual characteristics.

            In "Christabel" the main character, Christabel is like the traditional characteristic of a woman. She is referred to as good, pure and innocent. She obeys her father, whom loves her dearly. While Christabel is portrayed like the early Gothic genre, the good, submissive girl, the reader is introduced to Geraldine. Coleridge presents Geraldine as a supernatural woman possessing snake like qualities. In literature, the image of a snake represented evil and deceit. Combined with the female body, it made the woman unnatural and even ensues temptation. This look provokes a pleasurable fear derived from the woman's beauty and the snakes terrifying nature. Geraldine symbolizes evil and Christabel represents the good.

            The contrast between the two female characters give contradicting perceptions of women, however, Coleridge provides instances in which the distinction between the two become less clear, thus creating a middle ground. For instance, Geraldine is dressed in white, having a pleasant face and voice. This image makes her look like a "sweet maid" and gives of the impression of being good (Tupper). Christabel's behavior throughout the poem isn't always innocent. She sneaks away at night, takes in a stranger, which could be taken as her way of accepting evil. Once both the females are inside, she offers wine and they undress. Coleridge hints at the idea that the two women did more than just sleep and Christabel awakens stating she has sinned. By instilling these women with characteristics that go against what they "should" represent, Coleridge presents a unique contrast, between the perceptions of good and evil of women.

            Like Coleridege, John Keats also creates a character in his poem that is an alluring and unnatural beauty. In "Lamai," Keats paints an entirely different picture of the of his character verses that in Coleridge's work. Though Lamia is another contradicting character, there is more to her than just pure evil and good. Lamia is a depicted as a serpent, yet she wishes to be human.  

Lamia comes from Greek mythology. Her story claims that she killed and ate children and as punishment she was turned into a snake. This picture seems more fitting for Keat's poem since the image of the woman is so serene.

Keats alludes to an evil past, but Lamia doesn't fit the evil status that every one assumes her to have. Instead, Keats makes her defy all the associations of evil by desiring love. "She is a genuine lover trapped in unfortunate circumstances, and the reader is invited to feel her pain" ( Serba). Keats is also establishing the good and the bad, yet not coming to any concluding judgments. By making Lamia a sympathetic creature, he is creating an idea that women do not have a strict form to follow, that they are more than what they appear to be, whether that be bad or good.

            As the genre shifts, it moves towards women being depicted as having no identity or a false one, which comes into play in Mary Wollstonecraft's Maria. From the presentation about Wollstonecraft, the presenters offered insight into Wollstonecraft's life and said that she was the "Mother of Feminism." She was a woman who believed in equality, and thought that women were just as strong as men. They also state that she fought against the oppression of women both in marriage and society. Wollstonecraft writes for the woman, not the individual, so her perception of women is far different than the authors previously stated

            During the late eighteenth century, there was a great awakening to revolt which introduced many documents for equality. However, after the French revolution, women had been excluded from documents claiming that all men should be treated equally (Kelly).  In Maria, a lot of the same views as seen in The Castle of Otranto or poems like "Christabel" and "Lamia" in the novel. Woman are still the ones being oppressed, they still have no say and they still have to obey their husbands because if they don't there would be consequences. However, Wollstonecraft uses her story as a criticism of society.

            In Maria, the readers know that Maria is not crazy, and there is no real reason for her to be locked away. They later find out that the only reason she is there is because she tried to leave a horrible marriage, but wasn't allowed to do so, so she was forced into the asylum. By learning of this story later, rather than in the beginning, Wollstonecraft is allowing the readers to make their own judgments and develop a connection with Maria. This puts emphasis on Wollstonecraft's notions about marriage and how many women were slaves within their own marriage. The whole idea is that she felt that women were born slaves, and that men had to establish their superiority over women.

            Though it took many years for actual progress, through the writings of Wollstonecraft, Keats, Coleridge, Walpole, and many others, the perception of women in literature began to take on new roles and granted them much more freedom than before.

Fitzgerald, Conor. "The Importance of Women in the Castle of Otranto." Yahoo! Contributor Network. N.p., 18 Apr. 2007. Web. 07 May 2013.

Kelly, Gary. Revolutionary Feminism: The Mind and Career of Mary Wollstonecraft. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992.

Scerba, Amy. "Feminism and Women's Studies." : John Keats' "Lamia" (1819). N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2013.

Tupper, Martin F. Geraldine, a Sequel to Coleridge's Christabel: With Other Poems. London, 1838. Print.

Walpole, Horace, and Michael Gamer. The Castle of Otranto. London: Penguin, 2001. Print.