Woman in Society in the Novel: Comparison of Two Periods (19th and 20th Centuries)

Bc. Lenka Švédová

Master's thesis

Abstract:

This master’s diploma thesis is devoted to the comparison of the women’s position in society which focuses specifically on the development from the nineteenth to the twentieth century. It has analyzed six female characters from the novels of Victorian literature beginning with Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and Elizabeth Gaskell’s Mary Barton. The comparison is then provided by the analysis of the women protagonists from the novels of the twentieth century: Margaret Drabble’s The Millstone and Fay Weldon’s Praxis and The Life and Loves of a She-Devil. The work is divided according to the periods. Each of the part contains the subchapters dealing with the historical and social background of the women’s issue, the position of women in families and some possible troubles which they can encounter. The next part centres on the female writing itself. Firstly, it provides the authors’ biographies and then analyzes the women protagonists from the various points of views. The last chapter is devoted to the distinction between the Victorian and the modern woman firstly from the general point of view, then illustrating the comparison on the bases of the analyses of the novel characters from both periods.

Abstract:

This master’s diploma thesis is devoted to the comparison of the women’s position in society which focuses specifically on the development from the nineteenth to the twentieth century. It has analyzed six female characters from the novels of Victorian literature beginning with Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and Elizabeth Gaskell’s Mary Barton. The comparison is then provided by the analysis of the women protagonists from the novels of the twentieth century: Margaret Drabble’s The Millstone and Fay Weldon’s Praxis and The Life and Loves of a She-Devil. The work is divided according to the periods. Each of the part contains the subchapters dealing with the historical and social background of the women’s issue, the position of women in families and some possible troubles which they can encounter. The next part centres on the female writing itself. Firstly, it provides the authors’ biographies and then analyzes the women protagonists from the various points of views. The last chapter is devoted to the distinction between the Victorian and the modern woman firstly from the general point of view, then illustrating the comparison on the bases of the analyses of the novel characters from both periods.

Keywords

Charlotte Brontë, Anne Brontë, Elizabeth Gaskell, Margaret Drabble, Fay Weldon, female characters, women´s position in society, oppression, discrimination, feminism and modern woman, marriage, sexuality, childcare

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 24. 11. 2010

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 8. 2. 2011
• Supervisor: prof. Mgr. Milada Franková, CSc.

Masaryk University

Faculty of Arts

Master programme / field:
Philology / English Language and Literature