Authors
Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Os dois romances mais polĆ©micos de Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Barton e Ruth, giram em torno de personagens femininas que representam, respectivamente, a plena aceitaĆ§Ć£o e a recusa incipiente do senso comum vitoriano. Em Mary Barton, dois estereĆ³tipos coexistem: a mulher-anjo (Mary) e a prostituta (Ester). O romance retrata os perigos trazidos pela independĆŖncia econĆ³mica e laboral para as jovens trabalhadoras fabris, bem como a degeneraĆ§Ć£o atĆ© Ć morte a que todas as mulheres ācaĆdasā estĆ£o condenadas. Mas, por vezes, ambos os estereĆ³tipos parecem coincidir num sĆ³ personagem, criando um ser humano real, em vez de um simples dispositivo didĆ”ctico. A discreta revoluĆ§Ć£o de Gaskell surgirĆ” em Ruth, com o seu incĆ³modo exercĆcio de solidariedade para com as mulheres abandonadas e as mĆ£es solteiras. O destino de Ruth teria sido em tudo semelhante ao de Ester, se Elizabeth Gaskell nĆ£o tivesse tido a coragem generosa de subverter as regras. Ruth āpecaā, mas o seu percurso atĆ© Ć morte redentora nĆ£o Ć© de vĆcio e degeneraĆ§Ć£o, mas sim de penitĆŖncia e virtude. Mostrando sem questionar, a autora expressa o conflito entre a natureza humana e as regras sociais, que no entanto ainda saem vencedoras
Elizabeth Gaskellās two most controversial novels, Mary Barton and Ruth, focus on female characters who represent, respectively, the full acceptance and the incipient refusal of Victorian common sense. In Mary Barton, two stereotypes coexist: the woman-angel (Mary) and the whore (Esther). The novel depicts the dangers brought by economic Independence and factory labour to young female workers, as well as the degeneration until death to which all āfallen womenā are doomed. But, sometimes, both kinds of women seem to coincide in a sole character, creating a real human being instead of a mere didactic device. Gaskellās soft revolution will rise in Ruth, with her unwelcome sympathy for the abandoned women and single-mothers. Ruthās destiny would have been similar to Estherās if Elizabeth Gaskell hadnāt had the generous courage of subverting the rules. Ruth āsinsā, but her route until the redeeming death is not one of vice and degeneration, but one of penance and virtue. Showing without solving, the author voices the conflict between human nature and social rules...which nevertheless are still the winners.
Elizabeth Gaskellās two most controversial novels, Mary Barton and Ruth, focus on female characters who represent, respectively, the full acceptance and the incipient refusal of Victorian common sense. In Mary Barton, two stereotypes coexist: the woman-angel (Mary) and the whore (Esther). The novel depicts the dangers brought by economic Independence and factory labour to young female workers, as well as the degeneration until death to which all āfallen womenā are doomed. But, sometimes, both kinds of women seem to coincide in a sole character, creating a real human being instead of a mere didactic device. Gaskellās soft revolution will rise in Ruth, with her unwelcome sympathy for the abandoned women and single-mothers. Ruthās destiny would have been similar to Estherās if Elizabeth Gaskell hadnāt had the generous courage of subverting the rules. Ruth āsinsā, but her route until the redeeming death is not one of vice and degeneration, but one of penance and virtue. Showing without solving, the author voices the conflict between human nature and social rules...which nevertheless are still the winners.
Description
Keywords
Gaskell Mary Barton Ruth Mulher EstereĆ³tipo Women Stereotype
Pedagogical Context
Citation
SARMENTO, Clara ā The angel, the martyr and the whore: Elizabeth GaskellĀ“s female trinity. MĆ”thesis. Viseu. ISSN 0872-0215. NĀŗ 21 (2012), p. 17-26.
Publisher
Universidade CatĆ³lica Portuguesa