To what Degree do Women in the Stories of Sherlock Holmes Conform to the Gender Roles in the Victorian Era?

Women are part of almost every Sherlock Holmes story. But in how far are women presented in the stories of Sherlock Holmes and does the portrayal allow inferences regarding the Victorian Era? This paper tries to find overlaps between
the women in Sherlock Holmes and women in Victorian England. For reasons of the limited text size of this paper, only the original texts from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle will be dealt with. The various adaptations, that appeared later, will not be covered. The leading question of this term paper is: To what degree do Sherlock Holmes women conform to the gender roles in the Victorian Era?

To find answers on that question, the structure of the paper is as follows. First, a contextual overview about the Victorian Era will be given. The Era will be classified in time, such as historical developments. Secondly, gender roles in the Victorian Era will be discussed. The explanation will include roles of Victorian men for reasons of exemplification and comparison. However, this paper focus is in particular on the role of women in the Victorian Era. The roles of Victorian women will be structured into three sub-sections.

One sub- section deals with the concept of separate spheres in the Victorian Era, another on the notion of love and marriage and lastly with the ideal image of women, sexual ethics and double standards in the Victorian Era. Afterwards, these sub-sections will be brought into context with the Sherlock Holmes stories. Therefore, the canon will be classified in the time context. Furthermore, exemplary women who appear in the canon will be analysed and their roles will be compared with the roles of Victorian women. The three sub-sections will be put in context with Sherlock Holmes., by trying to allow draw comparisons. Lastly, a conclusion will be made, and an outlook will be given towards possible further research.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• The Victorian Era: A Period of Change
• The role of women during the Victorian Era
  • The Concept of Separate Spheres
  • The Notion of Love and Marriage
  • The Ideal Image of Women, Sexual Ethics, and Double Standards
• Time Classification of Sherlock Holmes
• The Role of Women in Sherlock Holmes
  • The Concept of Separate Spheres in Sherlock Holmes
  • The Notion of Love and Marriage in Sherlock Holmes
  • The Ideal Image of Women, Sexual Ethics, and Double Standards in Sherlock Holmes
• Conclusion
• Outlook

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This paper aims to investigate the portrayal of women in the stories of Sherlock Holmes and determine how this portrayal aligns with the gender roles prevalent during the Victorian Era. The focus is on the original works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, exploring the extent to which these female characters conform to the established gender norms of the Victorian period.

• The Victorian Era: Historical Context and Change
• Gender Roles in the Victorian Era: Separate Spheres, Love & Marriage, and Ideal Image of Women
• Analysis of Female Characters in Sherlock Holmes: Comparing their roles to Victorian Gender Norms
• Exploring the Relationship between Female Portrayal and Victorian Society
• Possible Future Research Directions

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The paper begins with an introduction outlining its scope and purpose. It then provides a contextual overview of the Victorian Era, highlighting its key historical shifts and the transformations that characterized this period. The paper proceeds to delve into the role of women during the Victorian Era, examining the concept of separate spheres, the notion of love and marriage, and the prevailing ideal image of women, including discussions on sexual ethics and double standards. Subsequently, it analyzes the portrayal of women in the stories of Sherlock Holmes, aligning them with the established gender roles in Victorian society. The paper concludes by drawing overarching inferences about the relationship between the portrayal of women in Sherlock Holmes and the broader social context of Victorian England.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This paper primarily focuses on the intersection of Victorian gender roles, female characters in the Sherlock Holmes stories, and the social and cultural context of the Victorian Era. Key concepts include the concept of separate spheres, the notion of love and marriage, the ideal image of women, sexual ethics, and double standards. The paper also analyzes the specific roles of women in Sherlock Holmes stories and compares them to the broader societal expectations of women during the Victorian period.

Details

• College: Leuphana Universität Lüneburg (Institute of Engilsh Studies)
• Grade: 2,0
• Author: Anonym (Author)
• Publication Year: 2021
• Pages: 15
• Catalog Number: V1130123
• ISBN (eBook): 9783346561886
• ISBN (Book): 9783346561893
• Language: English
• Tags: Sherlock Holmes English Literature Victorian Era