They are either innocent, pure and dependent on men, or dangerous, seductive and independent, either portrayed as femmes fatales or damsels in distress.Īfter the unfortunate death of his son Conrad by the mysterious helmet, his wife Hippolita sends Matilda to take care of her father. Female characters reach extremities: they are either extremely good or evil. These stereotypical perceptions always take the form of opposite pairs: the saint and the sinner, the virgin and the whore, or the angel and the witch (Ledoux, 2017). The second female role, being fragile and vulnerable, gives heroes someone to rescue and often becomes the prize for their brave endeavours (Nabi, 2017). In this case, the female embodies the pain/pleasure paradox that has come to be synonymous with Gothic literature. The first is dangerous, yet powerfully attractive. There are two main female roles within Gothic literature the predator and the victim. The presentation of the female figure appears to be heavily based on prevalent stereotypes concerning female nature (Ledoux, 2017). However, the damsel in distress also contributes to the story’s climax and keeps it progressing. She is a sentimental heroine who typically is clueless about the situation around her, representing vulnerability and someone gullible (Mermin, 1986). The Damsel is also characterised by her beauty, virtue and innocence. Within this scope, examples from Gothic literature have been chosen for the analysis to break down the similarities among female literary characters. This essay will examine the essence and characteristics of the damsel in distress character by comparatively analysing victims and femmes fatales in horror narration. Two literary examples representing this notion are Matilda, in Horace Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto (1764/2004), and Antonia, in Matthew Lewis’s The Monk (1796/1998). However, though these female characters are portrayed as feeble and helpless, the “damsel in distress” character, paradoxically, seems to constitute an ultimate threat to the system of the mighty patriarch. Various epithets are attributed to female characters in Gothic fiction: damsels in distress, victims, domestic governesses, evils, predators or prisoners. Typically, a female figure is incarcerated in a castle or monastery and tortured by a sadistic nobleman or members of a religious order. The focus on sensibility and vulnerability in literature introduces a new type of character: the “damsel in distress," a core character in the Gothic genre.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |