Female Gothic Properties In Affinity And Alias Grace

Literary Women by Ellen Moers introduces feminism to the field of Gothic literature and forms a brand-new literary criticism called female Gothic,which marks a significant breakthrough of gender studies.In light of it,this thesis would interpret Sarah Waters'Affinity and Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace with the perspective of female gothic.Although the two writers are from different countries,both of them set their novels in the 19^th century and coincidentally adopt the female Gothic genre.British contemporary writer Sarah Waters,is well-known by her three lesbian novels,which are hailed as“Victorian trilogy”.Her second novel Affinity tells a story between two lesbian protagonists and wins multiple awards.Margaret Atwood,Canadian contemporary writer,engages herself in feminist writings.Her world-renowned novel Alias Grace represents a famous murder case.Based on a close reading of Affinity and Alias Grace,this study tries to present the female Gothic elements the two novels have in common and the aims of employing them in the context of patriarchy.This thesis generally is divided into five parts.Part one focuses on presenting the literary criticism of female Gothic,the theoretical foundation of the thesis.The second part introduces the two novels and the two authors.Part three analyses three kinds of female Gothic elements in the two novels.The environmental settings,such as the chamber and the gaol,the lunatic asylum and the gloomy cell,they actually serve as the patriarchal punishment of madness women and foil to female hopelessness.The supernatural occurrence,ghosts,spiritualism and neuro-hypnotism reflect women's state of indeterminacy and in-betweenness,their illness and passivity,as well as lack of“reason”and volition.The villainous male figures setting in the two novels,they represent the patriarchal oppression female protagonists have suffered during the Victorian age.Part four reveals the female Gothic motifs Waters and Atwood try to convey,which are the clandestine resistances female Gothic heroines make against patriarchal suppression by their own means and their successful reconstruction of female subjectivity.The Final part draws a conclusion that by incorporating the depictions of the horrific Gothic environment with substantial thinking of female issues,Waters and Atwood infuse their own female thoughts into the heroines in the two novels,to enlighten contemporary women on the supremacy of human dignity and express their sincere wish that men and women coexist harmoniously without gender hegemony.By exploring the similarities of Affinity and Alias Grace,this thesis intends to disclose how women get rid of their affiliated position under the patriarchal system and strive for liberation from male suppression.This thesis hopes women can strive for the gender equality and freedom.