HEROINES OF THE NEW TIMES: EMANCIPATION THROUGH THE LANGUAGE OF FEMALE GOTHIC IN THE WORKS OF ANN RADCLIFFE AND ANTONIA S. BYATT
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Date
2026-05-22
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Plovdiv University Press
Abstract
This article focuses on the emancipation of women protagonists in the female Gothic genre, emphasizing their embodiment of the social norms and developmental opportunities of their time. At the heart of this trend, which later established as a tradition and continues to this day, is the concept of literary feminism (heroinism) introduced by Ellen Moers. The study focuses on two key works: the novel “The Mysteries of Udolpho” (1794) by the British novelist Ann Radcliffe and the Booker Prize-winning novel “Possession” (1990) by A. S. Byatt. The heroines
brought into comparison – the young lady Emily St. Auber and the scientific researcher Maud Bailey, outline the essential characteristics and developmental features of the new type of literary protagonist – from a curious girl who cannot travel without an escort to a serious woman who builds her career as a researcher with a PhD in literature.
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Keywords
heroines, female gothic, English literature, emancipation, gothic literature