| New Women appeared for only a short time, from about 1880 until World War I, yet their existence illustrates the ideological changes occurring in the social structure of the Victorian era. Throughout the nineteenth century, the predominant view of women as angels in the house reigned, but controversy over the "woman question" was already brewing. The culture's inability to deal with these problems was one of the reasons for the emergence of the New Woman.; This dissertation explores the changes in the domestic ideology that allowed the New Woman to develop, and the ongoing struggle with the "woman question," including the breakdown of the separation of public/private spheres that had relegated a woman to the role of housewife and mother. Women's refusal to comply with this idealistic view, yet their inability to imagine a future in which this dichotomy did not exist, comprises a large portion of this work.; I also examine the images of the New Woman in various forms, including cartoons and other caricatures, in novels, plays, poetry, and some non-fiction work. Most studies of the New Woman deal with the novels only, since they comprise the bulk of the discussion about who and what she was, but there was ongoing debate among more than just novelists about the issues she represents, as evidenced by her eruption into other genres and forms. I explore works by both men and women, including Thomas Hardy, George Gissing, Olive Schreiner, and Sarah Grand. I also look at lesser known novelists and poets, such as Mary Cholmondeley, Amy Levy, and Michael Fields.; The works and the criticism make up an ongoing dialogue about the issue of the New Woman. This dissertation explores that dialogue, the culture that created it, and some of the reasons why it has been ignored in the twentieth century. It also explores the fear of change within the culture that necessitated the New Woman's emergence onto the scene. |
