Date of Award
12-7-1999
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
English
First Advisor
Michael Lund, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Martha E. Cook, Ph.D.
Third Advisor
Kathleen T. Flanagan, Ph.D.
Abstract
In Victorian fiction, the relationships between male characters and the animals with which they come in contact with are interesting. The way Victorian male characters are shown to treat animals revels something about the nature of the men themselves. Therefore, it is important to examine the concept of masculinity at the time. The gender stereotypes that prevailed in Victorian England had a tremendous impact on the portrayal of men and women in the novels written at that time. Male writers, the dominant sex, chose to preserve ideals already present. Female writers did the opposite. The Victorian novelists examined were influenced by the expectations of an audience they must satisfy in order to be successful. Some of the authors felt compelled to use their literary creations as a means through which to deter their society from errors in its gender perceptions. The results of these efforts is an interesting variety of male characters whom either fit or rebel against the gender stereotypes of masculinity perpetuated by nineteenth-century society.
Recommended Citation
Peebles Soles, Mary Ann, "Victorian Concepts of the Ideal Man as Evidenced Through His Relationships with Animals: "If She Don't Carry You, You May Shoot Her" or "Remember Gyp When You Get Home"" (1999). Theses & Honors Papers. 204.
https://digitalcommons.longwood.edu/etd/204
