Unconventional Women in a Conventional Age: Strong Female Characters in Three Victorian Novels

Abstract

One of the most fascinating aspects of Victorian literature is the female characters. After much analysis, modern critics have formed categories of these women based on their behavior and roles in the novels, such as the demon woman and the Angel in the House, two of the most prominent categories. However, neither of these categories, and none of the less prominent ones, represents a positive view of women in the Victorian era. The following pages propose a new categorization of Victorian women: the strong and independent woman. Ready to fill this category are three heroines. Jane Eyre's namesake overcomes her passive, self-repressive tendencies as well as her anger and rebellion to become a strong, independent woman. The Woman in White's Marian Halcombe defies both categories of man-in-the-woman and traditional woman and is instead a hybrid of feminine and masculine qualities. Dracula's Mina Harker does not fit either the label of New Woman or traditional woman and instead exemplifies Stoker's new version of the ideal woman. These three women, among others, demonstrate the need for a new, positive view of female Victorian characters.