Graduate Program

English

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Semester of Degree Completion

Summer 2026

Thesis Director

Melissa Ames

Thesis Committee Member

Jeannie Ludlow

Thesis Committee Member

Lydia Craig

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Abstract

Performative femininity is a dangerous and controlling idea that subjugates women and places their inherent worth on how well they can conform to societal standards in male dominated spaces. Consequently, the reactionary messaging that surfaced as a result of these social pressures created a series of stereotypical female characterizations often depicted in the material and visual cultures of each period. By comparing contemporary literature with literature from the Victorian time period, it emphasizes the longstanding and controlling gender stereotypes pervasive throughout the past few centuries. This thesis attempts to understand and analyze the way that literature both critiques and supports some of these hidden aspects of the patriarchy that infiltrate our lives unconsciously. The following ideas show up repeatedly in the novels analyzed in this thesis: sexual purity, performative femininity, and likability. But what does this mean and how can it be fixed? By looking at how some of these novels have impacted readers, this thesis closes by considering the broader impact that fictional narratives have on social conditioning and conformity. Studies surrounding the reactions of young female readers and considering the increasing power that consumers in general have to influence the publishing and entertainment industries seem to indicate that though these standards have existed for centuries, the tides are changing in a new direction that inspires young people to embrace their differences and personalities without requiring social approval.

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