Throughout the history of gothic literature, modern ideas of feminism and the lack of respect for women can be seen also with the empowerment that women provide on another regardless of the idea of the roles and values places on them. With these ideas, feminism provides an attempt for equality throughout history where we can see patriarchal actions pulling men to the top. In Horace Walpole’s Castle of Otranto, the reader sees how feminist tendencies hold together the women of this gothic piece in a healthy manner, while some of the men of this time proved to be very selfish, territorial, and volatile. In Walpole’s writing, he illustrates how people interact and the differences between genders reactions. The women in this …show more content…
Gothic literature connects women’s abilities and lack of opportunities from then to now showing the prevalence it has through history.
Today, it may be hard for people to empathize with women of the gothic time period, but knowing more about female writers of that time can give more realistic examples of the way women lived. In Kathryn Sutherland’s article “Social Realism and the Novel”, she uses works from Jane Austen to go into detail on gothic literature's heroines while also giving examples of the way women lived at this time. Sutherland describes more how in Austen’s writings, the heroines are independent much like their author. In Sutherland’s piece, there are numerous occasions where Austen truly acts out in ways many women could not but aspired to be. Sutherland quotes Austen: “I must keep to my own style & go on in my own Way; And though I may never succeed again in that, I am convinced that I should totally fail in any other”(Sutherland). In this quote, Austen says she does not care whether or not people like her writings or not and that she’s going to stick with whatever makes her happy regardless of others opinions. This example can