Women In Gothic Literature

In the eighteenth century, “Gothic” meant anything that was unusual, disrespecting of tradition, or nonconforming. Gothic writing revolved around wicked, amazing, and sometimes destructive people, objects, or events. Much of Gothic literature was a result of disturbances in the eighteenth century. Mayhem erupted due to major changes in politics, economics, and social norms. Subsequently, Gothic literature valued the past with its ideas of aristocratic strength, passion, barbarity, and magic. The term “Gothic” was originally used to describe architecture, however, Horace Walpole used “Gothic” as a way to describe his story. The story outlined a new kind of fiction that involved superstition and apparitions. The Castle of Otranto was the first …show more content…
Female authors were very restricted by their social status and trapped by their conventionally accepted roles. Because women faced such challenges, their stories had more creativity, less femininity, and varied in writing style. However, the only type of fiction that was acceptable for women to write was a realistic novel. Realistic novels told about real events in modern times. If women could tell a story while educating or disciplining the reader, then the story was legitimate. Women did not write bizarre or intellectual stories. For example, well-known author Jane Austin was considered to be an educator because her stories taught a lesson. Maria Edgeworth was also an educator of the newly literate women (Smith, 1996). Soon, however, women were relieved from the burden of social traditions due to their triumphs in Gothic literature. Authors such as Clara Reeve, Sophia Lee, Ann Radcliffe, and Charlotte Dacre wrote stories about very abnormal occurrences. Their stories were about sex, murder, the supernatural, and fantasy. Although these women broke traditions, they were highly exalted for their writings. They were all professional writers and all confessed their authorship. Between 1790 …show more content…
Shunned by her husband’s family, she was alone to take care of her son. Mary dearly missed her husband and questioned her life without him. Soon she found that the only thing she could do to support herself was to write. Writing helped her to cope with pain and open her mind. Success came to Shelley as a play opened called The Fate of Frankenstein at the English Opera House. She then published several writings, including a biography about Lord Byron and a book of her husband’s poetry. Shelley would spend the next twenty years writing everything from novels to encyclopedias. By the time her son was old enough to take over the Shelley estate, Mary no longer had to write to support herself. She spent the rest of her life, commemorating the life of her husband (Geller, 2012). However, her writing career did not end once her son was of age; Mary wrote for the rest of her