Agency and Subversion in Feminist Resilience within Neo-Victorian Historical Fiction Narratives

Abstract

This research paper delves into the concepts of agency and subversion within the framework of feminist resilience in Neo-Victorian historical fiction. Taking novels like Fingersmith, Alias Grace, and The Passion as examples, the paper investigates the ways female protagonists cope with the patriarchal system, employing both agency and subversion to gain control over their existence. In doing so, the paper proves that through subversion of gender stereotypes and social norms, the female protagonists achieve resilience. It is important to note that agency is used by the protagonists as an instrument of empowerment, while subversion is employed as an approach to undermine and alter oppressive institutions. Through Neo-Victorian fiction, it becomes possible to analyze historical gender inequality issues and draw parallels with current feminist challenges. Additionally, the paper explores the wider impacts that these fictional representations have in terms of their significance to feminist studies and shows that, even today, the impact of such literature on the conceptions of gender power relations is felt. The paper ends on a note about areas for future research that could be done regarding the intersectionality of feminist resilience in regards to the depiction of subversion in current literature. In this regard, the Neo-Victorian genre proves an important tool in researching gender resilience.