| Although widely accepted as an analytical tool, second wave readings of nineteenth-century stories such as Jane Eyre that describe feminism as an effort to expose and reconcile women's needs with ability to meet their own needs are not enough. While such analyses may be effective for a narrow set of women, they may not apply to a great diversity of women.;A more contemporary third wave analysis, like the one this thesis applies to the gothic story "The Grey Woman" by Elizabeth Gaskell, encourages more complex readings that may apply not just to Anna Scherer, the main character, but to the other female characters in the story, which differ in class, nationality, and generation. The paper addresses these issues in terms of water, which works as a metaphor in the story and also within feminist discourse. |
