Madness and women : exploring the depiction of the theme of women and madness in 19th century fiction

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is the explore the depiction of madwomen in 19th century fiction, specifically in the short story The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and the two sensation novels Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon and The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. These three texts will be analysed through a feminist framework and Victorian perceptions and medical treatment of mentally ill women will be discussed and taken into consideration as to how these factors influence the way authors wrote their madwomen characters. Topics such as the domestication of women, the ideal woman, madness as a means to silence women and madness as a way to rebel against patriarchal hegemony will be further explored.