Feminism in Dark Romanticism

The subgenre within the Romanticism genre, Dark Romanticism, which is characterized by disturbing and horrific themes like those found in gothic literature, evolved significantly over the course of the late 18th and early 19th century. Within this genre, feminist prose appeared, confronting traditional gender roles, and disrupting patriarchal norms. When comparing the work of the Romantic writer Samuel Coleridge’s poem “Christabel” to the works of female Romantic writers such as Sarah Wilkinson’s The Convent of St. Ursula, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein, and Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Women, there is an obvious progression in the portrayal of women and their agency. The emergence of feminist prose can be seen through the works of these female dark romantic writers, whose examination of female autonomy and the defiance to antiquated gender roles differs from the themes relating to gender that are present in Coleridge’s poem “Christabel”, thus challenging the patriarchy and acknowledging the need for female empowerment in literature. This advancement signals the expanding influence and recognition of feminist ideals in literature and society in the Romantic era, making the feminist prose a fundamental element of the dark romanticism genre.

Coleridge’s poem “Christabel” is rife with Gothic elements of terror and suspense, but it also frequently displays overt…