Overview

The controversial and compelling figure of the New Woman in late Victorian fiction has garnered extensive scholarly attention, but rarely has she been investigated through the fascinating lens of the Gothic. Yet the presence of sinister Gothic elements is so widespread in the generally realisitic British novels that the term ""New Woman Gothic"" readily comes to mind. Drawing from and reworking Gothic conventions of Romantic and later literature, the New Woman version is marshaled during this tumultuous cultural moment of gender anxieties either to defend or revile the complex individual who sought improvements in educational, marital, and professional realms.

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9780826223548

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Reviews

""The New Woman Gothic is a well-written and fascinating study. Murphy makes compelling arguments throughout and opens space for further exploration into New Woman Gothic fiction.""--Studies in the Novel ""A compelling and original thesis that challenges scholarly ideas about both the generic location of Gothic and its gendered significance at the fin de siècle, and it promises to open up valuable new lines of inquiry.""--Victorian Review ""Executes careful and convincing close readings of Victorian novels, which are well contextualized within their political and cultural moments. Students of late nineteenth-century fiction will gain a rich understanding of social anxieties surrounding the emergence of the New Woman.""--Women's Writing ""Successfully brings together two seemingly disparate genres: the gothic novel of the late eighteenth century and the New Woman novel of the late nineteenth century. An invaluable resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate student research projects.""--Victorian Studies ""There is much to recommend this book: sound scholarship, interesting readings of primary works, and good writing. The concept of a ""New Woman Gothic"" is new and interesting, and Murphy's record of gothic tropes in novels of the 1880s and 1890s is creative and revealing.""--Annette Federico, author of Gilbert & Gubar's The Madwoman in the Attic after Thirty Years ""This book contributes substantial new research into fin-de-siècle fiction and would be useful for students of the New Woman and Gothic alike.""--English Literature in Transition

Author Information

Patricia Murphy is Professor Emerita of English at Missouri Southern State University.  She is the author of six books and numerous articles on Victorian literature.

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