Victorian literature is a literature written in England during the reign of Queen Victoria, or roughly from 1837 -1901. It is largely characterized by the struggle of working people and the success; of right over wrong. It happened to be in the Victorian era (1837–1901) that the novel became the leading classification in English. Women played an important part in this rising popularity both as authors as well as readers. Little Women is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888), the title of the book was meant to highlight the inferiority of women as compared to men, or, alternatively, describe the lives of simple people, "unimportant" in the social sense. This novel was written in New England during and after the American Civil War. Little Women considers women’s place in society by presenting the portraits of several very different but equally praiseworthy women. As we read the novel, we experience their different possibilities towards femininity, and we see a range of different possibilities for integrating women into society. Because the novel was written in the mid-nineteenth century, historical context places limits on what women can do. We as modern readers may be pleasantly surprised by the novel 's idea to push the boundaries of women 's traditional roles in the society. This book insists that women have a great deal to contribute, not only to the home and domestic sphere, but also to literature, art, and an ethical society. Some of the major
Chapter 16 of Exploring American Histories shows us the diversity among women’s roles. For example, women in a household were expected to cook meals, can fruits and vegetables, as well as wash and iron clothes. In relation to Exploring American Histories, we are taught in Zipf’s book that the institution of Samarcand Manor also helped women incorporate the duties they were expected to do in their households. Women who obeyed were simply treated better than those who did not. Women who showed outstanding abilities in their field were given the right to participate in leisure activities.
During the 19th century, women were overshadowed by the men of their household, therefore they had no sense of independence nor dominance. In Mary Freeman’s short story, “The Revolt of Mother,” the author presents Sarah Penn, a woman who takes a stand against her husband. In the beginning, the reader learns that Sarah is a hardworking mother and wife. She maintains the household work and meets her children needs. She is suddenly confused of her husband’s actions concerning their future.
In colonial North America, the lives of women were distinct and described in the roles exhibited in their inscriptions. In this book, Good Wives the roles of woman were neither simple nor insignificant. Ulrich proves in her writing that these women did it all. They were considered housewives, deputy husbands, mistresses, consorts, mothers, friendly neighbors, and last but not least, heroines. These characteristics played an important role in defining what the reality of women’s lives consisted of.
“A Jury of Her Peers” is a valuable resource for anyone curious to what life was like for women in the twentieth century for which it demonstrates women struggling to publish and define
Right alongside the woman, students read about today in their textbooks, like Dorothea Dix or Emerson and Thoreau, is Louisa May Alcott. This 19th century author with a modern perspective on life used her unique family dynamic of four sisters to fuel her writing as a passion and career. However, before she was an author she was just a woman. A woman, whose shoulders were burdened expenses and responsibilities of being the breadwinner in her house and financially supporting her family. However, Alcott accepted the struggle and transformed it into success through working various jobs such as, “tailor, laundress, housekeeper, tutor, writer, and editor of Merry's Museum” (Snodgrass).
Around the late 18th to early 19th century, colonial American New England life was centered on living independently and being finally free from the British Empire after the Revolutionary War. Establishing control of a newly founded government with set functions and a first president, there were progressive changes that America had to act upon post-war. However, behind the political aspects that are greatly highlighted in American history, the roles of women in society, particularly midwives shouldn’t be cast aside. Although women were largely marginalized in early New England life because of their gender, nevertheless Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s A Midwife’s Tale is instructive because it demonstrates the privilege of men’s authority in society
The portrayal and role depicted in the literature helped women in the long run to gain acceptance and equality in society. The literary contributions made and for women continue to be a springboard for women to gain equality to men. Finally, the accomplishment of these women writers who struggled to publish their fragile poems and stories could spread a template for other women around the word on how they can actually voice out their thoughts and help improve their own rights. Thus, women will continue to gain equality and recognition, and this success will also continuously impact the
Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” critiques Victorian womanhood in several ways throughout the text. Victorian women were expected to be pure, dainty, and perfectly angelic. They were also expected to be perfect mothers, wives, and hostesses at all times. If a woman were to express too much emotion, she would be called hysterical. Hysteria was considered a medical condition which rendered a woman incapable of reason or generally thinking like an adult.
From the outset, literature and all forms of art have been used to express their author’s feelings, opinions, ideas, and believes. Accordingly, many authors have resorted to their writing to express their feminist ideas, but first we must define what feminism is. According to the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, feminism is “the belief that women should be allowed the same rights, power, and opportunities as men and be treated in the same way, or the set of activities intended to achieve this state”. As early as the fifteenth century is possible to find feminist writings. Centuries later, and although she never referred to herself as one, the famous English writer Virginia Woolf became one of the greatest feminist writers of the twentieth
During the 1890’s until today, the roles of women and their rights have severely changed. They have been inferior, submissive, and trapped by their marriage. Women have slowly evolved into individuals that have rights and can represent “feminine individuality”. The fact that they be intended to be house-caring women has changed.
The novel "Little Women " portraits the difficult journey from childhood to adulthood from four teenaged sisters Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy called the March girls, and how they survive growing up in a difficult time highlighting the inferiority of women as compared to men with the ideas explored throughout the novel being women 's strive between familial duty and personal maturation, the menace of gender labeling, and the need of work. As the novel develops it is fascinating that Louisa May Alcott writes "Little Women," reflecting on her own life and many of the experience of growing up during the nineteenth century. Jo 's character is a replication of Alcott herself with her speaking directly through the protagonist. Social expectations played a important role for women with the idea in which you had to marry young and create a new family which Meg does; be submissive and devoted to one’s guardians and own family, that Beth is; focus on one’s art, pleasure, and people, as Amy does at first; and struggle to live both a dedicated family life and a significant accomplished life, as Jo does. Both Beth and Meg obey to society’s expectations of the role that women should play, Amy and Jo at first try to get away from these limitations and grow their uniqueness.
The statement ‘masculinity in Victorian literary texts is a category radically divided, re-imagined and problematic’ sums up not only masculinity but also the main male characters from Victorian literature. Some of the most memorable male characters within literatures comes from this era, and they are radically divided from women, they are re-imagined character from the typical Anglo-Saxon white English gentleman, and in no way a stereotypical male, (even creating a new stereotype) and yet they are all problematic flawed characters. The most memorable masculinity novels have characters that are divided, re-imagined and problematic like that of Heathcliff, Allen Quatermain Sherlock Holmes and Watson. With a close textual analysis readers can see how these Victorian masculine characters are made immortal. Masculinity cannot be assessed without femininity to contrast to, even in the book that is for boys written by a boy and about boys King Solomon’s Mines, written by H. Rider Haggard.
The role of women in literature crosses many broad spectrums in works of the past and present. Women are often portrayed as weak and feeble individuals that submit to the situations around them, but in many cases women are shown to be strong, independent individuals. This is a common theme that has appeared many times in literature. Across all literature, there is a common element that causes the suffering and pain of women. This catalyst, the thing that initiates the suffering of women, is essentially always in the form of a man.
She finds that women are currently writing nearly as many books as men, on all kinds of subjects, such as economics and philosophy, “which a generation ago no woman could have touched“. So, to explore current novels and to see what kind of changes occurred in
This novel is also autobiographical. Throughout history, women have been locked in a struggle to free themselves from the borderline that separates and differentiate themselves from men. In many circles, it is agreed that the battleground for this struggle and fight exists in literature. In a