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Re-Imagining the Victorian Woman: Female Representations in Four Neo-Victorian Novels from 1990 to 2010

Valdimarsdóttir, Guðrún LU (2015) LIVR43 20131
English Studies
Master's Programme: Literature - Culture - Media
Abstract
Neo-Victorian literature is a subgenre of historical fiction that is set during the reign of Queen Victoria, from 1837 until 1901. There are divergent opinions on the emergence of the genre; however, the time frame established in this dissertation spans from 1990 until the present moment. One of the principal characteristic of neo-Victorian novels is that through their Victorian setting they display their involvement with contemporary issues. Such an engagement can be expressed in a variety of ways, yet a common approach involves a reimagining
of marginalized voices. This paper will focus on representations of real and
fictitious Victorian women in four neo-Victorian novels: Sarah Waters' Tipping the Velvet(1998); Belinda Starling's The... (More)
Neo-Victorian literature is a subgenre of historical fiction that is set during the reign of Queen Victoria, from 1837 until 1901. There are divergent opinions on the emergence of the genre; however, the time frame established in this dissertation spans from 1990 until the present moment. One of the principal characteristic of neo-Victorian novels is that through their Victorian setting they display their involvement with contemporary issues. Such an engagement can be expressed in a variety of ways, yet a common approach involves a reimagining
of marginalized voices. This paper will focus on representations of real and
fictitious Victorian women in four neo-Victorian novels: Sarah Waters' Tipping the Velvet(1998); Belinda Starling's The Journal of Dora Damage (2006); Jude Morgan's Charlotte and Emily: A novel of the Brontës (2010); and A.S. Byatt's Possession: A Romance (1990). The analysis of each novel is divided into three parts, which focus on authorship/autobiography, sexuality, as well as independence and occupation. This division seems to both highlight similarities between the novels, as well as draw attention to their differences. Through an emphasis on issues regarding a large group, that was generally repressed during
the Victorian era, it is revealed that contrary to the statements of certain critics, neo-Victorian texts are more critical than nostalgic towards their historical setting. (Less)
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author
Valdimarsdóttir, Guðrún LU
supervisor
organization
course
LIVR43 20131
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
optimism., nostalgia, authorship, fictional autobiography, Women's writing, Sexuality, Morgan, Starling, Byatt, Waters, Women in fiction, Historical fiction, Fiction, Neo-Victorianism, Neo-Victorian
language
English
id
4917977
date added to LUP
2015-06-18 09:06:23
date last changed
2015-06-18 09:06:23
@misc{4917977,
  abstract     = {{Neo-Victorian literature is a subgenre of historical fiction that is set during the reign of Queen Victoria, from 1837 until 1901. There are divergent opinions on the emergence of the genre; however, the time frame established in this dissertation spans from 1990 until the present moment. One of the principal characteristic of neo-Victorian novels is that through their Victorian setting they display their involvement with contemporary issues. Such an engagement can be expressed in a variety of ways, yet a common approach involves a reimagining
of marginalized voices. This paper will focus on representations of real and
fictitious Victorian women in four neo-Victorian novels: Sarah Waters' Tipping the Velvet(1998); Belinda Starling's The Journal of Dora Damage (2006); Jude Morgan's Charlotte and Emily: A novel of the Brontës (2010); and A.S. Byatt's Possession: A Romance (1990). The analysis of each novel is divided into three parts, which focus on authorship/autobiography, sexuality, as well as independence and occupation. This division seems to both highlight similarities between the novels, as well as draw attention to their differences. Through an emphasis on issues regarding a large group, that was generally repressed during
the Victorian era, it is revealed that contrary to the statements of certain critics, neo-Victorian texts are more critical than nostalgic towards their historical setting.}},
  author       = {{Valdimarsdóttir, Guðrún}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Re-Imagining the Victorian Woman: Female Representations in Four Neo-Victorian Novels from 1990 to 2010}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}