| dc.description.abstract | In my paper, titled “Transgressive Gender and the Empowerment of Masculine Women in The Monk,” I discuss how Matthew Lewis revolutionizes Gothic literature by crafting powerful women characters who deviate from traditional female gender roles. Although scholars often address gender in discussions of The Monk, the issue of how Lewis empowers women characters who exhibit traditionally masculine characteristics has not been fully dealt with.
My analysis of Lewis’s gender defying characters focuses on three important women from the novel: Marguerite, the Bleeding Nun, and the primary villain, Matilda. Each of these characters plays a different role in The Monk, but they are similar in that they all achieve their ultimate goals by adopting traditionally masculine traits. My first section, called “The Villain,” deals with the clearly evil character Matilda, a woman who uses gender-bending in order to seduce the monk Ambrosio. My second section, “The Saved,” focuses on the Bleeding Nun, a supernatural character who earns her salvation by dominating a man into saving her. My last section, “The Savior,” explores the often-overlooked Marguerite—a character I argue is the only true hero in the novel. I show how these women achieve their remarkably different goals by ignoring the societal constraints of their gender and leaving behind the traditional ideals of feminine virtue. By presenting female characters in The Monk who ultimately achieve their desires through traditionally masculine actions, Matthew Lewis creates a space for women characters to explore gender deviance within Gothic literature. | en_US |
