The Portrayal of Women in Victorian Literature

Emily M. Massman
Dr. Amber Johnson and Dr. Brian Ott, Faculty Mentors

Women characters in Victorian literature are commonly portrayed with stereotypes regarding their personality, achievements, and physical characteristics. These were likely influenced by the societal and intellectual ideologies of the Victorian Era. Drawing on a content analysis of ten Victorian Era novels, the author examined characteristics of women characters and analyzed whether common themes emerged to demonstrate any significant differences in the portrayal of women characters by men and women authors. The findings demonstrate that women were more likely than men authors to include women in their novels that had received an education and were described as intelligent. One potential reason for this is that women authors likely experienced a more direct discrimination based on their sex, so they would have included characters that defied the stereotypes. Possible routes of further research are suggested that would provide additional insight, such as conducting a larger sample study for a longer time.  

Keywords: Women, Victorian Literature, Stereotypes, Culture

Topic(s):Anthropology

Presentation Type: Poster

Session: TBA
Location: TBA
Time: TBA