"Enduring the Torturing Shears: Gardens and Novel Conventions in the Br" by Grace Mattingly
 

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.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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