GENDER STUDIES IN THE WORKS OF A. TENNYSON (CASE STUDY: POETIC CYCLE “IDYLLS OF THE KING”)
Abstract
The article aims to study the representation of the gender issues peculiarities in Alfred Tennyson’s poetic cycle “Idylls of the King”. This poetry collection, which became a model in the realm of Arthuriana, remains on the periphery of gender literary studies today. Preserving the leading characters and plots of the Arthurian legends, the poet presented his vision of the patriarchal society of Camelot through the prism of stereotypical ideas of the Victorians about the distribution of social and gender roles. Both the author’s attitudes and the general mood of English society of the 19th century, which experienced certain shifts in the perception of femininity and its role in the social order, were reflected in the specifics of depicting the legendary material. Although Victorian England was conservative and patriarchal, the 19th century faced the growth of women’s movements, which was inevitably reflected in various spheres of life and creative activity of Victorians. The traditional images that come to life on the pages of A. Tennyson’s poems generally preserve their dominant gender parameters: Arthur and his knights are the embodiment of hegemonic masculinity; they fulfill the social and matrimonial roles assigned to them. However, the author endows men with certain traits that are traditionally associated with the feminine (indecisiveness, hesitation, treachery), these are perceived as flaws and reduce the overall pathos of the images. Female characters, who are less numerous on the pages of the poems, mainly embody the Victorian idea of femininity: they are submissive to men, and the sphere of their responsibility is narrowed to family life, however, these figures acquire certain masculine parameters (determination, activity, and rationality), often show a proactive attitude. Such images directly or indirectly arouse the sympathy of readers, which indicates the generally tolerant attitude of the Victorians to the emancipatory movements.
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