The Evolution of Gender Constructions in Gothic Narratives

The Gothic and its relation to boundaries is the focal point of this paper. The genre’s fluid and deconstructive character renders it uniquely apt for the study of historical gender relations. Attending to the fears and desires encoded in these narratives exposes the underlying power dynamics, as well as the gendered expectations and transgressive possibilities they contain.This thesis addresses the question of whether shifts can be discerned in Gothic literature across different historical periods, beginning with the eighteenth century. By examining the ideals and “monsters” that emerge in specific eras, it seeks to reveal the extent to which associated gender constructions are subject to historical variation and transformation. This study is organized into three parts, each dealing with its own specific time period and thematic cluster. It contains in-depth analyses of Gothic classics such as "A Sicilian Romance", "Jane Eyre", "Rebecca", "Dracula", "Interview with the Vampire", "Frankenstein", as well as their modern adaptations: Addie Tsai's "Unwieldy Creatures", Sarah Maria Griffin's "Spare and Found Parts", and Elizabeth Kostova's "The Historian".