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The Construction of Female Evil The Construction of “female evil”: Deviant women in selected English novels of the 19th century Diplomarbeit zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades einer Magistra der Philosophie an der Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz vorgelegt von Astrid KLIMA am Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik Begutachter: Ao.Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr.phil. Hugo Keiper Graz, 2009 Danksagung Diese Diplomarbeit möchte ich meinem Freund Alwin widmen. Seit wir uns kennen hat er mich stets unterstütz und war für mich da. Es war gewiss nicht immer leicht mit mir und ich möchte mich hiermit bei ihm für alles bedanken, denn er hat mir die Kraft gegeben diese Arbeit und mein Studium zu vollenden. Weiters möchte ich mich an dieser Stelle bei den Personen bedanken, die mir bei der Erarbeitung dieser Diplomarbeit geholfen haben. Mein herzlicher Dank gilt meinem Betreuer Herrn Ao.Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr.phil. Hugo Keiper, der mich immer freundlich unterstützt hat. Außerdem möchte ich mich bei meiner Freundin und Studienkollegin Karin Kraus bedanken die stets ein offenes Ohr für mich hatte und mir bei der Korrektur meiner Arbeit geholfen hat. -2- The Construction of “female evil”: Deviant women in selected English novels of the 19th century Diplomarbeit Von Astrid Klima Abstract This diploma thesis focuses on ‘female evil’, the deviant female characters of Romantic and Victorian novels – women who do not embody the ideal of femininity and womanhood of their time. The female characters presented in this thesis do things a typical woman of their time would never do. They lie, they cheat, they murder, they show and use their sexuality or they have fits of rage. They go off script and are consequently punished because there is no place for deviant women in a patriarchal society. In order to give an overview of four important types of female evil, four novels were chosen: Dracula by Bram Stoker, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary E. Braddon, and Vanity Fair by Willliam Thackeray, each of them featuring a strong female character, representing a different type of female evil. In Dracula Lucy Westenra represents the female vampire, who openly shows her sexuality and lust and even feeds on children. Secondly, Bertha Mason, the madwoman in Jane Eyre , who behaves and raves like a beast, thus making it impossible for her husband to live with her so that he locks her up in the attic of his house. In Lady Audley’s Secret Helen Maldon the murderess, a beautiful blond woman, attempts murder twice in order to defend her newly found social position as Lady Audley. Last but not least Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair , the femme fatale, who uses people to get what she wants, not caring for the consequences of her actions. These four women are neither mother figures, nor are they good wives, and most of all they are not good women, according to Victorian standards, because they do not behave in accordance with their social position. It is their deviant behaviour, their ignoring of rules, norms and manners which turns them into outsiders and maybe that is the true reason why these women are presented as evil. -3- The Construction of “female evil”: Deviant women in selected English novels of the 19th century Diplomarbeit Von Astrid Klima Abstrakt Das Thema dieser Diplomarbeit ist das ‘Weibliche Böse’, deviante Frauencharachtere in der Englischen Literatur des 19. Jahrhunderts – Frauen die nicht das gängige viktorianische Frauenideal der Zeit verkörpern. Die weiblichen Charaktere, die in dieser Arbeit präsentiert werden, legen ein Verhalten an den Tag, das eine typische Frau ihrer Zeit nie zeigen würde: Sie lügen, haben Wutanfälle, betrügen, morden und spielen offen mit ihrer Sexualität. Ihr Fehlverhalten wird über kurz oder lang natürlich bestraft, denn in einer patriarchalen Gesellschaft ist kein Platz für rebellische und deviante Frauen. Um einen Überblick über vier herausragende Formen des weiblichen Bösen geben zu können wurden vier Romane ausgesucht: Dracula von Bram Stoker, Jane Eyre von Charlotte Brontë, Lady Audley’s Secret von Mary E. Braddon, unf Vanity Fair von Willliam Thackeray. In jedem dieser Romane kommt ein starker weiblicher Charakter vor, der für eine unterschiedliche Form des weiblichen Bösen steht. In Dracula ist es Lucy Westenra, die Vampirin, die offen mit ihren Reizen und ihrer Sexualität spielt und das Blut von Kindern trinkt. Es folgt Bertha Mason in Jane Eyre , die Verrückte, die von ihrem Mann auf dem Dachboden eingesperrt wird weil er ihre Wutanfälle und ihr Fehlverhalten nicht mehr ertragen kann. Die dritte Figur ist Helen Maldon in Lady Audley’s Secret , die schöne blonde Mörderin, die auch vor Mord nicht zurückschreckt um ihre Position als Lady Audley zu verteidigen. Und zu guter Letzt wäre da noch Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair , die Femme Fatale, welche die die Leute ausnutzt und zu ihren Gunsten manipuliert, ungeachtet der Konsequenzen ihres Handelns. Diese vier Frauen, so unterschiedlich sie auch sind, sind keine gute Frauen, gemessen am viktorianischen Ideal. Sie weigern sich, die ihnen von der Gesellschaft zugeteilte Rolle als Frau und Mutter einzunehmen. Ihr deviantes Verhalten, das Ignorieren der Regeln, das Missachten von Normen und Benimmregeln ist was sie letztendlich zu Außenseitern werden ließ, vielleicht auch der wahre Grund, warum diese Frauen als böse dargestellt werden. -4- Table of contents 1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 6 2. THE IDEA OF FEMALE EVIL – UNDERLYING CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS CONCEPTS ...................................................................................................................................................... 9 2.1. EPITOMES OF FEMALE EVIL ............................................................................................ 12 2.1.1. Femme Fatale......................................................................................................... 12 2.1.2. Female warriors..................................................................................................... 15 2.1.3. Murderesses and female serial killers.................................................................... 16 3. THE INTELLECTUAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT OF 19TH CENTURY LITERATURE IN ENGLAND ............................................................................................................... 19 3.1. 19 TH CENTURY ENGLAND .............................................................................................. 19 3.2. 19 TH CENTURY ENGLISH LITERATURE ............................................................................ 21 3.2.1. The Romantic Period.............................................................................................. 21 3.2.2. The Victorian Period.............................................................................................. 22 3.3. WOMEN ’S RIGHTS IN THE 19 TH CENTURY ....................................................................... 23 3.3.1. Women and education ............................................................................................ 25 3.3.2. Women and marriage............................................................................................. 27 4. ANALYSIS OF DEVIANT WOMEN IN SELECTED ENGLISH NOVELS OF THE 19TH CENTURY .......................................................................................................................................... 29 4.1. DRACULA BY BRAM STOKER .......................................................................................... 29 4.1.1. A short introduction to Dracula............................................................................. 30 4.1.2. Lucy Westenra – the female vampire ..................................................................... 32 4.2. JANE EYRE BY CHARLOTTE BRONTË .............................................................................. 39 4.2.1. General introduction to Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre.......................................... 39 4.2.2. Bertha Mason – the mad women in the attic.......................................................... 41 4.3. LADY AUDLEY 'S SECRET BY MARY ELIZABETH BRADDON ............................................ 48 4.3.1. A short introduction to Lady Audley’s Secret ........................................................ 48 4.3.2. Helen Maldon – the murderess .............................................................................. 50 4.4. VANITY FAIR BY WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY ................................................... 57 4.4.1. A general introduction to Vanity Fair.................................................................... 57 4.4.2. Becky Sharp – the femme fatale ............................................................................. 60 5. CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................................... 67 6. BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................................... 73 -5- 1. Introduction The five sources of happiness: the first is long life; the second, riches; the third soundness of body and serenity of mind; the fourth, love of virtue; the fifth is an end crowning the life. Of the six extreme evils, the first is misfortune shortening the life; the second, sickness; the third, distress of mind; the fourth, poverty; the fifth, wickedness; the sixth, weakness. Confuciansim
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