A new Bachelor's thesis with Brontë-related content:
by Marta Quellos i Olive , University of Lleida, Spain
Final Degree Project
Supervisor: M. Isabel Santaularia Capdevila
2025
The concept of masculinity has changed and evolved over time to a point where it may be difficult to fully grasp its whole complexity when situating it in a specific time period. Nevertheless, its objective stays fixed: guarantee men’s domination and the preservation of patriarchy. This article explores how Victorian literature challenges hegemonic notions of masculinity and undermines patriarchal imperatives from the 19th century, serving us as a trust-worthy source of reference. Using the representation of male characters in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (1847) and Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848) as case studies, I analyse the way the authors articulate a critique of Victorian notions of masculinity and expose the ills of patriarchal men. However, the authors take a step further. Through characters like Heathcliff, Huntingdon, Hareton or Gilbert Markham they do not only provide examples of what they condemn but also alternatives to the patriarchal masculinity, literary archetypes, or the actual men in their lives. This article improves our understanding of Victorian masculinities and their relevance in contemporary discourse on gender and society.
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