Award Date

1-1-1993

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

English

Number of Pages

199

Abstract

This study examines Anthony Trollope's depiction of women, specifically dissent women who, for one reason or another, did not conform to the expectations of their society. His treatment of these women reveals an author who grew more sympathetic to the position of women as he grew older. I have divided his writing career into three periods, and from each period, I have representative women who clearly indicate Trollope changing viewpoint; In Chapter One, the Introduction, I explain Trollope's development as a writer, how he is viewed by modern critics, and his position in nineteenth-century England; Chapter Two, "Single Women" deals with three representative women from the three periods of his life, clearly demonstrating his changing attitude towards women traditionally viewed as insignificant and unimportant; Chapter Three, "Fallen Women" looks at the woman whose sexual misconduct places her outside the bounds of conventional society. Trollope, by the third period of his career, places the blame squarely on the man and sees the woman as more sinned against than sinning; Chapter Four, "Unwitting Adultery" examines sexual misconduct within the confines of marriage. Although these women were condemned by their society, Trollope blames societal conventions rather than the women who find themselves in this situation; Chapter Five, "Unhappy Marriages" traces life after the wedding, following four very different women who struggled to find an identity within a male-dominated institution. Trollope moves from presenting these women as stereotypic shrews (Mrs. Proudie) to recognizing the pressures which exist in difficult relationships. Perhaps his finest study is Lady Glencora who, more than any other character, reflects her creator's evolving sympathy and compassion towards dissent women in an unhappy marriage; Chapter Six, The Conclusion briefly summarizes Trollope's evolution through his writing career and concludes that "essential Victorian" indeed reflected his times, which were marked more by change than by stasis.

Keywords

Anthony; Characters; Dissent; Fiction; Portrayal Sympathetic; Trollope; Trollope, Anthony; Trollope, Anthony; Women; Women Characters; Women Characters

Controlled Subject

British literature; English literature--Irish authors; Irish literature

File Format

pdf

File Size

7802.88 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Permissions

If you are the rightful copyright holder of this dissertation or thesis and wish to have the full text removed from Digital Scholarship@UNLV, please submit a request to digitalscholarship@unlv.edu and include clear identification of the work, preferably with URL.

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Download


Share

COinS