Page 50 - All About History - Issue 70-18

Gothic literature
SCREAM
QUEENS
How female authors navigated the
freedoms of the Gothic genre to
shout about their oppression
Written by Beth Wyatt
D uring the 19th century,
a hungry, increasingly
literate
audience
of
Victorians consumed the
novel, transforming writers
into household names. But most remarkably of
all, the era ushered in a wave of female pioneers,
an early form of girl power which
vitalised literature with rich stories, and
inspired feminists of the future.
The Gothic genre which played a hand
in this victory, with its frighetful form offering
opportunities to explore themes and issues
previously sidelined or ignored in other works.
Amidst the eerie castles, striking landscapes and
Medieval settings, these female writers could
call into question male-dominated society, turn
traditional power dynamics on their head, and
use the supernatural as a vehicle for the sensual.
This isn’t to say that the genre was always
empowering, as texts such as Bram Stoker’s
Dracula prove. With his contrasting depictions
50
of the virtuous Mina perceived to have been
Harker
and salacious Lucy
Westenra, author is
assailing the ‘New Woman’ – a term used at the
describe
the females who
end of the century to
not)
achieve.
were trying to push against the barriers dictating
they could not (and should
what
But although female novelists led the way in
breaking new ground, this was under intense
scrutiny and prejudice. Many used male aliases,
criticism was levelled at their deviation from
‘feminine’ matters – Mary Shelley was described
as having a “masculine mind” – and some of their
families felt compelled to rewrite aspects of their
characters after their deaths, for example Jane
Austen’s brother Henry purposefully played down
her ambitions, intentions, and knack for social
critique. Nevertheless, their accomplishments
were many, and their books have brought joy to
generations of readers. In this bicentenary year
of Emily Brontë’s birthday, and the publication of
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, discover how Gothic
fiction shaped the lives of ten talented women.