Document Type
Thesis - Open Access
Award Date
2016
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department / School
English
First Advisor
Katherine Malone
Keywords
Carmilla, Goblin Market, Hesba Stretton, queer theory, The Ghost in the Clock Room, Victorian family
Abstract
In my thesis, I use a queer theoretical lens to consider three Victorian texts, Hesba Stretton’s “The Ghost in the Clock Room,” Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market,” and J. Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla. I apply queer theory to locate these authors’ attempts to destabilize heteronormativity by depicting non-normative gender roles, sexualities, and families in texts that emphasize the Victorian ideology of separate spheres. Many scholars imagine the separation of spheres as simply relegating women to a domestic sphere that reinforced traditional values and restricted their power. However, these works demonstrate that opportunities for power and queer possibility exist within the home and family, or so-called domestic sphere. This thesis seeks to locate and celebrate these queer and transgressive possibilities.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Sex role in literature
Families in literature
English literature -- 19th century -- History and criticism Queer theory
Stretton, Hesba, 1832-1911
Ghost in the clock room
Rossetti, Christina Georgina, 1830-1894
Goblin market;
Le Fanu, Joseph Sheridan, 1814-1873
Carmilla
Description
Includes bibliographical references (page 86-92)
Format
application/pdf
Number of Pages
97
Publisher
South Dakota State University
Recommended Citation
Mihajlovic, Randi, "Queering the Spheres: Non-Normative Gender, Sexuality, and Family in Three Victorian Texts" (2016). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 974.
https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd/974
Included in
Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Literature in English, British Isles Commons
Rights Statement
