Essay on Feminist Criticism in 19th-Century Literature: Re-evaluating the 'Angel in the House'

The Victorian Domestic Ideal and Its Discontents

The Victorian era was defined by a rigid moral landscape where the "Angel in the House" served as the ultimate archetype of femininity. Coined by poet Coventry Patmore, this term described a woman who was submissive, pious, and entirely devoted to the domestic sphere. However, through the lens of feminist criticism in 19th-century literature: re-evaluating the 'angel in the house' becomes a necessary exercise in uncovering the hidden resistance of female characters. While society demanded that women remain passive ornaments of the home, the literature of the period often vibrated with a repressed energy that challenged these narrow expectations.

Subverting the Angel in Jane Eyre

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