Representations of Women in Gothic Literature Essays

Representations of Women in Gothic Literature Essays Representations of Women in Gothic Literature Paper Representations of Women in Gothic Literature Paper Throughout the gothic genre, women are seemingly created on two extreme ends of the spectrum as either feeble and innocent victims or vindictive and lascivious predators. The Romantic poetry of Keats encapsulates this dualistic approach to the representation of women because on one hand he does create powerless and vulnerable women, but in order to highlight the decadence of the seventeenth century period of enlightenment, he eradicates the cold-hearted rationalism associated with patriarchy through the emergence of the Femme Fatale. Stoker wrote his epistolary novel, Dracula, amid the fin de siecle, a time period that was strictly governed by the stringent standards of the patriarchal, Victorian society. From the outset, Stoker challenges the rigid gender boundaries of society by making an explicit link between vampirism and sex, as his female characters adopt unconventional roles that appear to place them in positions of power, and in the process subvert the expectations of the Victorian society. Carter’s Bloody Chamber, written during the rebellious feminist era of the 1970’s, is arguably the most transgressive of all of the gothic texts on the basis that she does indeed explore the victimisation of women, but only does so as a means of highlighting the juxtaposing triumph of the female resurgence, as Kathleen E.B Manley asserts that her female protagonists â€Å"oscillate between passivity and action†. From the outset, each writer implies that the passivity which is traditionally associated with femininity is a direct result of the oppression from the patriarchal society. Keats conveys this idea through the objectification of women which is present in Isabella, as he notes that the brother’s plan was to â€Å"coax her by degreesTo some high noble and his olive trees†. Evidently, Keats is making reference to a proposed arranged marriage, thus exploring the way in which Isabella is a commodity to her brothers, with no active fre