Abstract
This article examines the marriage sub-plots in Charlotte Brontë’s Villette (especially the sub-plot concerning Paulina Home’s parents) to argue that they operate as an indicator of the forms of female rebellion the novel is prepared to endorse. Marriage plotting and sub-plotting in Villette have gone unnoticed by critics for the way they problematize ideas about women’s freedom and acceptable feminine behaviour. In Villette’s economy of female worth, only a specific type of woman is allowed to rebel, the woman who is also unconventional in appearance. Women with the conventional feminine appearance are lauded if they comply, and condemned if they do not. Marriage plotting and sub-plotting in Villette reveal the insidious way(s) in which stories between women are used in order to achieve female discipline.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
