Unlikeable female characters

Museums Associations highlights some of the good things about Bradford.

But the opportunities are almost impossible to miss – a rich architectural landscape; the Unesco World Heritage Site of Saltaire; a host of famous artists, musicians and writers (from the Brontë sisters to David Hockney); a trendy craft beer scene; and, perhaps most importantly, a young population that is bubbling with potential. (Rebecca Atkinson)

Far Out reviews Emerald Fennell's Saltburn.

When we learn that his character isn’t working class at all and has lied his way into the Saltburn family’s home, Oliver is revealed to be a modern-day take on arguably the most famous gothic figure: Heathcliffe [sic]. 

The similarities between Oliver and Heathcliffe are striking. The ultimate gothic antihero, Emily Brontë’s character from Wuthering Heights enters as a working-class underdog before being revealed to be the villain, enacting a generations-wide punishment on an upper-class family – sound familiar? To add to the similarities, in the end, Heathcliffe’s revenge is never really about class or his treatment. It entirely comes down to unrequited love, much like how when Oliver is revealed to actually come from a middle-class family, his further violence towards Felix and his family all comes down to Felix not reciprocating his obsession. (Lucy Harbron)

The Student has a brief take on 'The redemption of the unlikeable female character'.

Every ‘unlikeable’ female character henceforth seems to be a mimic of Eve. Matilda in The Monk successfully deceives and seduces a highly respected religious man, as Eve does to Adam; Catherine in Wuthering Heights is untamed and wild, taking after Eve’s disobedience from God; Julia in The Duchess of Malfi has a fickle nature and is weak to the whims of men, as Satan proves; Bertha in Jane Eyre is simply put, “the madwoman.” [...]

Let us instead see Eve as an independent woman, one who wishes to forge her own destiny. Let us try and sympathise, recognising that these so-called unlikeable women are more than what makes them unlikeable. A good place to start is Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea, a retelling of Bertha from Jane Eyre where her erratic behaviour is instead understood as a response to being rejected and abandoned. 

It is in our power to reshape this narrative; to instead critically evaluate how and why we judge the unlikeable female character we see so often in the media. (Sienna Hammond)

The A&T Register suggests '10 Black Authors to Spice Up Your Autumn Reading List' including

Lauren Blackwood – Blackwood is an emerging talent in the literary world. Her debut novel, “Within These Wicked Walls,” has received critical acclaim for its insightful portrayal of the Ethiopian style of Jane Eyre. Blackwood’s unique voice and storytelling ability establish her as a promising author to watch. (Dasia Williams)