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I shall live as me : the dismantlement of suppressive structures in contemporary female gothic texts
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613736991195136 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Da Mata, Antonia Katelyn |
| author2 | Oppelt, Riaan |
| author_browse | Da Mata, Antonia Katelyn Oppelt, Riaan |
| author_facet | Oppelt, Riaan Da Mata, Antonia Katelyn |
| author_sort | Da Mata, Antonia Katelyn |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131628 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:40:53.839Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131628 I shall live as me : the dismantlement of suppressive structures in contemporary female gothic texts Da Mata, Antonia Katelyn Oppelt, Riaan Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of English. Gothic literature -- History and criticism Gothic fiction (Literary genre), English -- Women authors -- History and criticism Women in literature Feminism and literature Gilman, Charlotte Perkins, 1860-1935 -- Yellow wallpaper -- Criticism and interpretation UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this thesis, the continued yet contested relevance of the Female Gothic in literature privileging women characters is investigated. Ellen Moers, Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar contributed groundbreaking insight to what is known as the Female Gothic. Generally, Female Gothic literature explores pressures and anxieties experienced by women within domestic spaces under patriarchal control. Due to perceptions of it being outdated, the term “Female Gothic” is contested in literary studies but remains relative for narratives which focus on a young woman’s maturation and an implicit anxiety surrounding her sexuality. The “separate spheres” was an ideology during the Victorian period that separated women and men in society. Women occupied the domestic space and were expected to be submissive to the husband or male figure. Through an analysis of Charlotte Perkin Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” (1892), I study how the domestic space is a source of anxiety for women protagonists in early stages of marriage. Gilman’s short story is posited, in this reading, as a foundational text influential on others following in its wake and the thesis dedicates itself to selections in this vein. Gilman’s story addresses the suppressive nature of “separate spheres” and how women being controlled and confined within the domestic space is undesirable. Through Linda Hutcheon’s A Theory of Adaptation as well as Adrienne Rich’s arguments for constant re-visions of feminist literature, I study the ways writers attempt to re-visit and re-write Gilman’s unnamed protagonist and free her from the Female Gothic situation. The study focuses on three groups of women: the young bride, governess, and girl. The governess and young bride share anxieties regarding sexuality within the domestic space despite occupying different roles within the household. Using the texts, The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), Rebecca (1938), and Fingersmith (2002), I argue how writers and creators use the technique of adaptation and provide possibilities for queer readings to attempt to alleviate the protagonist from the Female Gothic situation. These texts offer alternative femininities for the protagonist. Mostly, they provide narratives that show women as beings of autonomy and volition. However, with the analysis of Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle (1962), I conclude that the most promising way to alleviate the Female Gothic situation for a woman is to write narratives about a protagonist before the point of maturation. The child narrator challenges prescriptive codes of the “separate spheres” by writing a girl with different priorities to motherhood or marriage. Girlhood offers new narrative arcs within the Female Gothic. With a wider possibility on what it is to be a woman, we can rethink the types of women and stories we read within the Female Gothic. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie tesis word die voortgesette dog betwiste relevansie van die Vroulike Gotiek in literatuur wat vrouekarakters bevoorreg, ondersoek. Ellen Moers, Sandra Gilbert en Susan Gubar het baanbrekende insig bygedra tot wat bekend staan as die Vroulike Gotiek. Oor die algemeen ondersoek Vroulike Gotiese literatuur druk en angs wat vroue ervaar binne huishoudelike ruimtes onder patriargale beheer. As gevolg van persepsies dat dit verouderd is, word die term "Vroulike Gotiekïn literêre studies betwis, maar bly relatief vir narratiewe wat fokus op ’n jong vrou se rypwording en ’n implisiete angs rondom haar seksualiteit. Die äparte sfere"was ’n ideologie gedurende die Victoriaanse tydperk wat vroue en mans in die samelewing geskei het. Vroue het die huislike ruimte beset en daar is van hulle verwag om onderdanig te wees aan die man of manlike figuur. Deur ’n ontleding van Charlotte Perkin Gilman se "The Yellow Wallpaper"(1892), bestudeer ek hoe die huislike ruimte ’n bron van angs is vir vroue-protagoniste in vroeë stadiums van die huwelik. Gilman se kortverhaal word in hierdie lesing as ’n fundamentele teks geponeer wat invloed het op ander wat in die nasleep daarvan volg en die proefskrif wy hom aan seleksies in hierdie trant. Gilman se verhaal spreek die onderdrukkende aard van äparte sfereäan en hoe vroue beheer word en binne beperk word. die huislike ruimte is ongewens. Deur Linda Hutcheon se A Theory of Adaptation sowel as Adrienne Rich se argumente vir konstante her-visies van feministiese literatuur, bestudeer ek die maniere waarop skrywers poog om Gilman se naamlose protagonis te herbesoek en te herskryf en haar van die Female Gothic-situasie te bevry. Die studie fokus op drie groepe vroue: die jong bruid, goewerneur en meisie. Die goewerneur en jong bruid deel angs rakende seksualiteit binne die huishoudelike ruimte ondanks die feit dat hulle verskillende rolle binne die huishouding beklee. Deur die tekste, The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020), Rebecca (1938) en Fingersmith (2002) te gebruik, argumenteer ek hoe skrywers en skeppers die tegniek van aanpassing gebruik en moontlikhede vir queer-lesings bied om die protagonis van die vroulike te probeer verlig. Gotiese situasie. Hierdie tekste bied alternatiewe vroulikheid vir die protagonis. Meestal verskaf hulle narratiewe wat vroue wys as wesens van outonomie en wil. Met die ontleding van Shirley Jackson se We Have Always Lived in the Castle (1962) kom ek egter tot die gevolgtrekking dat die mees belowende manier om die Female Gothic-situasie vir ’n vrou te verlig, is om narratiewe oor ’n protagonis te skryf voor die punt van rypwording. Die kinderverteller daag voorskriftelike kodes van die äparte sfereüit deur ’n meisie te skryf met verskillende prioriteite vir moederskap of huwelik. Hierdie dogterskap bied nuwe narratiewe boë binne die Vroulike Gotiek. Met ’n wyer moontlikheid oor wat dit is om ’n vrou te wees, kan ons die tipe vroue en stories wat ons lees binne die Vroulike Gotiek heroorweeg. Masters 2025-01-30T10:03:31Z 2025-01-30T10:03:31Z 2024-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131628 en Stellenbosch University vii, 94 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Gothic literature -- History and criticism Gothic fiction (Literary genre), English -- Women authors -- History and criticism Women in literature Feminism and literature Gilman, Charlotte Perkins, 1860-1935 -- Yellow wallpaper -- Criticism and interpretation UCTD Da Mata, Antonia Katelyn I shall live as me : the dismantlement of suppressive structures in contemporary female gothic texts |
| title | I shall live as me : the dismantlement of suppressive structures in contemporary female gothic texts |
| title_full | I shall live as me : the dismantlement of suppressive structures in contemporary female gothic texts |
| title_fullStr | I shall live as me : the dismantlement of suppressive structures in contemporary female gothic texts |
| title_full_unstemmed | I shall live as me : the dismantlement of suppressive structures in contemporary female gothic texts |
| title_short | I shall live as me : the dismantlement of suppressive structures in contemporary female gothic texts |
| title_sort | i shall live as me the dismantlement of suppressive structures in contemporary female gothic texts |
| topic | Gothic literature -- History and criticism Gothic fiction (Literary genre), English -- Women authors -- History and criticism Women in literature Feminism and literature Gilman, Charlotte Perkins, 1860-1935 -- Yellow wallpaper -- Criticism and interpretation UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131628 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT damataantoniakatelyn ishallliveasmethedismantlementofsuppressivestructuresincontemporaryfemalegothictexts |