To what extent do you agree with the view that it is Eleanor rather than Catherine who is closer to the stereotypical gothic heroine?
It can definitely be said that Eleanor Tilney possess a great number of the characteristics that the stereotypical Gothic heroine was deemed to have. Her character throughout the novel does not seem to change and she remains a constant, well-mannered person whose life seems to hold all the injustices that a Gothic heroine should have to face. However, what can be debated, is the extent to which Austen makes a mockery of the Gothic genre by portraying Eleanor as the Gothic heroine. It can be seen that Austen wishes her true heroine to be Catherine, whose character develops throughout the novel and furthermore presents someone with whom we can connect as we see her learn from her failings.
Eleanor Tilney certainly shows throughout the novel, the stereotypical features of a Gothic heroine, one of these being her relationship with her controlling father who can be seen to be the Gothic villain in the novel. “Well proceed by all means...he continued without leaving his daughter time to speak”. Here, General Tilney can be seen to be taking control of his daughter’s affairs. He leaves her no time to speak and we can see toward the end of the novel that her choice of husband was one, which her father controlled as well. We are told that when Eleanor is eventually allowed to marry the man we hear little of, that She had long been withheld only by inferiority of situation from addressing her. The way in which the General holds conversations with Eleanor, leaving her little time to speak and his speeches taking up much more of the text, shows a certain level of entrapment. Eleanor can be seen to portray the Gothic heroine as her overbearing father traps her in her controlled life.
Another feature of the Gothic heroine, which we see in Eleanor Tilney, is the loss of a mother at an early age. This is a stereotypical feature of a Gothic heroine and one, which Catherine does not have. Catherine is seen to have a large, supporting family, which is different from the isolated, helpless front that traditional Gothic heroines normally possess. Another way in which Eleanor can be seen to be the Gothic heroine instead of Catherine is in her looks and mannerisms. She is described as having “a good figure, a pretty face and a very agreeable countenance.”
It can definitely be said that Eleanor Tilney possess a great number of the characteristics that the stereotypical Gothic heroine was deemed to have. Her character throughout the novel does not seem to change and she remains a constant, well-mannered person whose life seems to hold all the injustices that a Gothic heroine should have to face. However, what can be debated, is the extent to which Austen makes a mockery of the Gothic genre by portraying Eleanor as the Gothic heroine. It can be seen that Austen wishes her true heroine to be Catherine, whose character develops throughout the novel and furthermore presents someone with whom we can connect as we see her learn from her failings.
Eleanor Tilney certainly shows throughout the novel, the stereotypical features of a Gothic heroine, one of these being her relationship with her controlling father who can be seen to be the Gothic villain in the novel. “Well proceed by all means...he continued without leaving his daughter time to speak”. Here, General Tilney can be seen to be taking control of his daughter’s affairs. He leaves her no time to speak and we can see toward the end of the novel that her choice of husband was one, which her father controlled as well. We are told that when Eleanor is eventually allowed to marry the man we hear little of, that She had long been withheld only by inferiority of situation from addressing her. The way in which the General holds conversations with Eleanor, leaving her little time to speak and his speeches taking up much more of the text, shows a certain level of entrapment. Eleanor can be seen to portray the Gothic heroine as her overbearing father traps her in her controlled life.
Another feature of the Gothic heroine, which we see in Eleanor Tilney, is the loss of a mother at an early age. This is a stereotypical feature of a Gothic heroine and one, which Catherine does not have. Catherine is seen to have a large, supporting family, which is different from the isolated, helpless front that traditional Gothic heroines normally possess. Another way in which Eleanor can be seen to be the Gothic heroine instead of Catherine is in her looks and mannerisms. She is described as having “a good figure, a pretty face and a very agreeable countenance.”