A Study On Female Gothic Elements Of The Woman In White

The Woman in White is a major work of British detective novelist Wilkie Collins in the19^th century.Since it was published,this novel has been deeply loved by readers and has aroused intense critical interest.It has become the focus of western criticism with its rich connotations,mysterious story lines and unique narrative techniques.Collins presents a Victorian mini-map to readers in this work.Victorian’s reign engraved with the birth of capitalist culture,also left a variety of feudal society traces.Influenced by it,people at that time also had double acts,inheriting the various traditions of feudal society and challenging these ancient customs.The novel has received extensive attention from all walks of life since its publication.Not only the content is loved by the readers but also its originality in narrative has become the focus of literary critics circle.Some scholars have researched on this novel from the perspective of its basic constituent elements such as social background,writing skills,structure and themes.There are also some other angels to explore this novel like feminism and sensation.This study traces the cultural background of the female Gothic,combs the characteristics of female Gothic,and discusses the female Gothic elements in The Woman in White.This thesis analyzes the female Gothic dichotomous images,female Gothic confining spaces,and several important factors in the specific performance of The Woman in White.The female Gothic element increases the tension of this work,and the work also expresses the male author’s concern for women.This thesis will attempt to have a female Gothic analysis of female characters in The Woman in White from the following three aspects:first,it provides a new perspective for digging the textual connotation of The Woman in White and understanding the British Victorian women culture;second,it studies the composition of“female Gothic”in male texts;third,according to Collins’praises for feminine spirit of stubborn revolt and her maintenance to the patriarchal system,this study argues that The Woman in White is different from traditional Gothic fiction,which includes female Gothic elements.On the one hand,it has some features of succumbing to tradition;on the other hand,it does not want to be covered and conquered by tradition.