Gender Roles In Gothic Literature

During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, gender roles were extremely strict and ridged, with a male dominant society. Men were the prominent moneymakers of the household and held important religious, political, and public positions. On the other hand, women were expected to be the homemakers, staying at home to take care of the house and children. Novels written during this time sometimes challenged these gender stereotypes, specifically works in the gothic genre. Novels such as Villette by Charlotte Bronte and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley use characters to portray and challenge the obvious gender expectations during the 1800s. The characters of Villette are easily associated either comparing or contrasting the common gender roles during the time the novel was written, 1853. A character in the novel who portrays the female gender

While Villette does show some female characters that challenge stereotypes, Frankenstein does not, holding a complete “male dominant” story. Each female character, including Elizabeth, Safie, and Justine, is passive and virtually unimportant to the story, besides for further male advancement. This can be seen in the character of Safie. Her character is important to the story because as she learns, the creature observes and learns from himself, showing the progressing male and the passive female. Elizabeth, Victor’s lover, also portrays the female gender role. She is beautiful and submissive to Victor, who refers to her as a piece of property. The creature kills Elizabeth, the most important possession of Victor’s, in order to inflict the most pain upon him. Again, a female is used in the novel for further male advancement. The absence of a female protagonist in Frankenstein, and the presence of passive, insignificant female roles, the novel conveys and follows the typical gender roles during the nineteenth