The Paralles Between the Mill on the Floss and the Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Introduction
Women of 18th and 19th Century led a life that was prescribed for them. The way they should behave, the way they should talk and what they should think. They were completely dependent on men and they were expected to obey. Being different was the same as being an outcast. Yet there were some exceptional individuals – women – who were not satisfied with this perception of themselves. They chose to break the boundaries and to live their lives the way they themselves chose to.
Among them were many women writers of this Victorian era. These brave females, although often forced to hide behind a pseudonym, wrote some outstanding stories with heroines that like themselves didn’t want to be defined by such stereotypes. Two brightest examples of these heroines are Maggie Tulliver from The Mill in the Floss which was written by George Eliot and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall written by Anne Bronte. This essay examines closely both of these books and tries to analyze, compare and contrast both rebellious females.
The Story
1. The Mill on the Floss
The mill on the Floss chronicles lives of a young girl named Maggie Tulliver and her brother Tom from childhood into adulthood. She is one of the most interesting female characters that have ever been written. When the story begins Maggie is a clever yet impetuous girl. She is undoubtedly more imaginative and interesting than the rest of her family. She is in desperate need for love and approval especially from her older brother Tom. But he doesn’t always see eye to eye with Maggie and that causes major problems between them which make her very upset. Maggie also struggles to win approval and affection of her mother who constantly criticizes her irrational behaviour and her rather dark features. Tom is later sent away to study, even though he is not the studious type. Maggie visits him and befriends another student there called Philip Wakem. At the beginning she mostly feels sorry for him because he is crippled. But
Women of 18th and 19th Century led a life that was prescribed for them. The way they should behave, the way they should talk and what they should think. They were completely dependent on men and they were expected to obey. Being different was the same as being an outcast. Yet there were some exceptional individuals – women – who were not satisfied with this perception of themselves. They chose to break the boundaries and to live their lives the way they themselves chose to.
Among them were many women writers of this Victorian era. These brave females, although often forced to hide behind a pseudonym, wrote some outstanding stories with heroines that like themselves didn’t want to be defined by such stereotypes. Two brightest examples of these heroines are Maggie Tulliver from The Mill in the Floss which was written by George Eliot and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall written by Anne Bronte. This essay examines closely both of these books and tries to analyze, compare and contrast both rebellious females.
The Story
1. The Mill on the Floss
The mill on the Floss chronicles lives of a young girl named Maggie Tulliver and her brother Tom from childhood into adulthood. She is one of the most interesting female characters that have ever been written. When the story begins Maggie is a clever yet impetuous girl. She is undoubtedly more imaginative and interesting than the rest of her family. She is in desperate need for love and approval especially from her older brother Tom. But he doesn’t always see eye to eye with Maggie and that causes major problems between them which make her very upset. Maggie also struggles to win approval and affection of her mother who constantly criticizes her irrational behaviour and her rather dark features. Tom is later sent away to study, even though he is not the studious type. Maggie visits him and befriends another student there called Philip Wakem. At the beginning she mostly feels sorry for him because he is crippled. But
References: 1. ELIOT, George. The mill on the floss. London: Penguin Books, 1994, 534 s. Penguin popular classics. ISBN 01-406-2027-3. 2. BRONTË, Anne a Herbert ROSENGARTEN. The tenant of Wildfell Hall. New York: Penguin Books, 1996. ISBN 01-404-3474-7. 3. The Mill on the Floss: Analysis of Major Characters. In: SparkNotes [online]. [cit. 2012-02-14]. Dostupné z: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/millonthefloss/canalysis.html 4. The Mill on the Floss. In: Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia [online]. San Francisco (CA): Wikimedia Foundation, 2001- [cit. 2012-02-14]. Dostupné: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mill_on_the_Floss 5. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. In: Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia [online]. San Francisco (CA): Wikimedia Foundation, 2001- [cit. 2012-02-14]. Dostupné: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tenant_of_Wildfell_Hall 6. Ussher, Jane, Women’s Madness: Misogyny or Mental Illness? (Harlow: Prentice Hall, 1991) 7. Critics of Wildfell Hall. In: DOWNEY, Glen. Victorian web [online]. [cit. 2012-02-14]. Dostupné z: http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/bronte/abronte/downey2.html