Ladies of legend: Heroines of antiquity, the Renaissance, and the late Victorian periods
by Forsythe, Amy Jean, M.A., SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY AT EDWARDSVILLE, 2009, 73 pages; 1471587

Abstract:

This thesis argues that the heroines’ actions in Euripides’s Medea, Sophocles’s Antigone, Shakespeare’s King Lear, and George Gissing’s The Odd Women are misinterpreted because of the expectations of patriarchal society in antiquity, the Renaissance and the late Victorian periods. Medea, Antigone, Cordelia, and Rhoda Nunn are perceived as evil, rebellious women in their respective time periods because they do not conform to the patriarchal expectations of women. Through the exploration of the historical perceptions of femininity and the ideal characteristics of women, I argue that these women are not only refused the status of heroines, but they are also punished in each novel because of their perceived rebelliousness, when in fact, each woman has specific, logical reasons for what she does and why she should deserve to be called heroic.
 
AdviserJohn Pendergast
SchoolSOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY AT EDWARDSVILLE
SourceMAI/ 48-01, p. , Jan 2010
Source TypeThesis
SubjectsClassical literature; Comparative literature; Women's studies; Theater; British and Irish literature
Publication Number1471587
Adobe PDF Access the complete dissertation:
 

» Find an electronic copy at your library.
  Use the link below to access a full citation record of this graduate work:
  http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl%3furl_ver=Z39.88-2004%26res_dat=xri:pqdiss%26rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation%26rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:1471587
  If your library subscribes to the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database, you may be entitled to a free electronic version of this graduate work. If not, you will have the option to purchase one, and access a 24 page preview for free (if available).

About ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
With over 2.3 million records, the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database is the most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses in the world. It is the database of record for graduate research.

The database includes citations of graduate works ranging from the first U.S. dissertation, accepted in 1861, to those accepted as recently as last semester. Of the 2.3 million graduate works included in the database, ProQuest offers more than 1.9 million in full text formats. Of those, over 860,000 are available in PDF format. More than 60,000 dissertations and theses are added to the database each year.

If you have questions, please feel free to visit the ProQuest Web site - http://www.proquest.com - or call ProQuest Hotline Customer Support at 1-800-521-3042.