The representation of marital abuse in the Brontës’ literary writings : a feminist approach

Abstract EN

This research paper examines the way that the Brontë sisters write about one of the most important issues in a person’s life, the decision of marriage and how it can lead to a woman being abused by her chosen partner.

This paper aims at proving how the Brontë sister’s trilogy: Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall have been used by the authors themselves to criticize the Victorian repressive marriage which is lacking love.

The subject matter within the paper claims that each one of the chosen texts shows how the sibling authors have similar opinions or tendencies regarding the above-mentioned issue and how they disapprove of the traditional marriage, by which women become oppressed.

The selected texts are regarded as early feminist writings by critics and scholars for their depiction of marital abuse.

By conducting research combining social backgrounds and close reading, the paper sets out to focus on the character’s mistakes regarding marriage like Bertha in Jane Eyre, Isabella in Wuthering Heights, and Helen in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

The study points out that the chosen females in the writings are depicted to be passive characters.

To establish this identity, the study illustrates that how their mythical principles on which their marriage based leads to them being victims of marital abuse.