Through the eyes of Thomas Hardy: Status of women within the socio-cultural context of victorian society
No Thumbnail Available
Files
Date
2008
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü
Abstract
This study covers five novels of Thomas Hardy (The Return of the Native, The Mayor of Casterbridge, The Woodlanders, Tess of the D? Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure) who is considered to be one of the major literary artists of the 19th century Victorian period. With a social-realistic method, these novels picture the socio-cultural and economic situation of Hardy?s society. Therefore, the study deals with the works of Hardy within the historical background of this period.The study is restricted to how in his fiction Hardy, from his own social-realistic perspective, re-presents the attitude of the Victorian society towards women. This investigation runs two issues in parallel: how society identifies women and how Hardy reacts to the kind of identity society grants women.Hardy not only criticises the social institutions of his society such as family, marriage and religion which play a defining role in shaping the role of women but also he fervently underlines the fact that these institutions pressurise women in every phase of their lives. Women are not given a living space outside the boundaries these institutions draw for them. For this reason, they do not have the opportunity to develop their own identity outside their limited space. They are only given the status of ?the angelic housewife? which binds them to their husbands economically. They are also not authorised by these institutions to search for a different identity than what is already prescribed to them.Hardy defines these institutions that give shape to the common opinion of society as narrow-minded and he criticises their methods of silencing the voice of women by means of penalty. In doing this he foregrounds the type of women who try to stand against the pressurising attitude of society and gives the opportunity to his readers to witness the fight of these women to get their personality acknowledged. Hardy?s concern is that these women are made powerless by these institutions, which have the power to punish them if they attempt to revolt. In his novels the revolutionary type of women always get punished which unfortunately brings their fight to an end.As in his novels Hardy had been bold enough to deal with such unauthorised issues, this study foregrounds him as a revolutionary writer. Although Hardy cannot bring an instant solution to the problems of women he nevertheless makes a powerful call to his society as to the necessity of reviewing the place of women in society.
Description
Keywords
Kadın Sorunları