Honors Theses
Date of Award
Summer 8-10-2025
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
English
First Advisor
Deanna Kreisel
Second Advisor
Scott MacKenzie
Third Advisor
Alexandra Lingren-Gibson
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
This thesis is a literary analysis of the use of gardens and garden imagery in Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, and Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights to subvert Victorian novel conventions. This work is part of the larger conversation of how female authors in the literary canon express dissatisfaction with or resistance to Victorian social mores. This thesis is divided into three chapters, each focusing on one novel, and it primarily evaluates how gardens are employed by the Brontës to challenge plot and genre conventions. The work examines concerns surrounding the Victorian marriage institution, female autonomy, and imperialism.
Recommended Citation
Mattingly, Grace, "Enduring the Torturing Shears: Gardens and Novel Conventions in the Brontës' Novels" (2025). Honors Theses. 3309.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/3309
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