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.
