Published Paper Details:

The generic term "Female Gothic" more perfectly describes the political aims of second-wave feminist literary criticism than the narratives of early women Gothic writers, argues this article, which examines the entrancing history of women-authored Gothic texts from the 1800s and early nineteenth century. While numerous detractors although attempts have been made to undercut the term "Female Gothic," it is still used to refer to works in which the female protagonists are trapped in the home realm and tormented by abduction, assault, and child brides. This essay questions why criticism insists on viewing this genre as a type that glorifies female victimization although there is an abundance of textual material that paints a significantly nuanced picture of how women use and interact with the Gothic style. According to the theory, the response to this question may well be discovered by examining how early nineteenth-century readers responded to Gothic female writings and how that tradition of reception influenced the discursive techniques used by second-wave feminist literary critics.