Gender, Genre and the Female Gothic: Resisting Patriarchal Norms in Angela Carter’s “The Bloody Chamber” and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”

Abstract

The female gothic reinterprets works by female authors by fusing feminism and the study of gothic literature. In actuality, it represents a significant advancement in the study of gender in Gothic literature. In works written in the gothic style by women, the oppression of women in patriarchal society is reflected, and the destruction of women at the hands of patriarchy is emphasized throughout gothic art; in this sense, the resilience of the female gothic protagonists in the face of adversity symbolizes their maturation as women. Based on this context, this research attempts to compare "The Bloody Chamber" by Angela Carter with "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman from the standpoint of the feminine Gothic fiction. The dark tragedies that await women in patriarchal culture are explored by Carter and Gilman in ways that transcend beyond the normal boundaries of the gothic genre. By contrasting the narratives, this study aims to show how women begin to question and even demolish patriarchal chauvinism and move away from their subservient position in patriarchal society.