Victorian Feminism
In order to fight against the problems associated with the expectations for women to uphold these moral standards, critics argued for a prototypal feminism. This feminism argued that women should not be placed into the domestic sphere based solely on their gender. As Caine (1992) writes,
The idea that the English women’s movement was concerned primarily, even exclusively, with gaining access for women to the public sphere, has given way to an ever-increasing recognition of the extent of Victorian feminist concern with the oppression of women in domestic life, in marriage, and in all forms of sexual relations. (para. 3)
Because feminism was not a word used during this period, scholars have come to different conclusions about what constitutes a Victorian feminist. To many scholars, it encompasses actions that aided the women’s movement as well as any actions of the female activists or reformers themselves (Rendall, 1984). It is interesting to note a common argument which holds that the patriarchy gained its strength through placing women in a domestic role (Reed, 1975). The most interesting place to look for Victorian feminist ideas is often in literature. Women during this time constituted some of the Era’s most prolific writers. The Brontёs, George Eliot, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning were all writers during this time, and through their writing it is possible to see the frustration that women had with the patriarchal system in which they lived (Lee, 1996).