Persistent phantoms: the supernatural in victorian fiction as metaphor for an age of transition
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Arts (MA)
Major/Program
English
First Advisor's Name
Meri-Jane Rochelson
First Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Chair
Second Advisor's Name
Bruce A. Harvey
Third Advisor's Name
Mary Jane Elkins
Date of Defense
2-18-2000
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to explore the reasons for the great outpouring of high-quality supernatural fiction that appeared in late Victorian Britain and how these stories were influenced by contemporaneous technological, sociological and cultural changes. For this purpose, a number of literary works from the period have been chosen for review and analysis. In addition, numerous historical and critical texts have been consulted for their ability to illuminate and comment upon the significance of the fictional works. Results indicate that Victorian supernatural fiction reflected Victorian attitudes toward and anxieties about their changing world, leading to the conclusion that it served Victorians both as a refuge from their anxieties and as an opportunity to confront their problems imaginatively during a time of transition.
Identifier
FI15101452
Recommended Citation
Froelich, Leslie Abrams, "Persistent phantoms: the supernatural in victorian fiction as metaphor for an age of transition" (2000). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 3609.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/3609
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