The Woman in Black, Gender & Power - typical Gothic horror or Hill's use of a unique ghost? (PDF)

Seminar paper from the year 2021 in the subject Gender Studies, grade: 2,0, University of Duisburg-Essen (Anglistik), course: Anglophone Studies, language: English, abstract: The Woman in Black (1983) can be seen as a classic among Gothic fiction. This becomes clear due to the many Gothic tropes, motifs, and stylistic devices that the author Susan Hill uses in this ghost story. The way she uses them and considering the plot of the novel, one can read the book as a feminist one that adapts a 'unique' picture of women, which might not be seen as popular or common. Therefore, it can easily be analysed as a criticism towards patriarchal society and the picture people have about both women and men, especially about their properties.

The most significant Gothic tropes of the book will be analysed in II. Moreover, it will become clear how they correlate with and give the ground for the feminist reading. This will lead us to III: The Woman in Black and power, as power is one of the best-known properties that Humfrye shows and is important for both the feminist reading as well as the criticism of patriarchy, the structures of our society and the expectations that are attached to them. The next two chapters are about two different explications or understandings of Humfrye's essence and why she became the ghost she is now. While the first understanding of her outcome focuses on her being a mother, the other one is more about her gender, certain gender roles as well as stereotypes that function as a possible repression of women.