The Starving Sex: Psychoanalysis of Gendered Identity Crisis in the Gothic Novel

This paper investigates the socio-historical context in which the Gothic novel appeared. It seeks to shed light on the psychological side of this debut. One of the problems of recent studies in this regard is that they tend to detach the appearance of the Gothic novel from the historical context that gave birth to this genre. This leads to inaccurate findings and conclusions because this genre rose out of necessity. It was a method of fighting back the suppressive social conditions from which females suffered. This study is necessary to reveal the oppressive context females endured, and how that patriarchal ideology was universally and rationally justified and eluded any possible questioning. This suppressive condition was deeply rooted in the unconscious of subjects. Gothic novel was a revolution against that prevailing ideology, socially, religiously, and intellectually. It was considered a form of atheism. In this regard, this paper seeks to question the validity of the appearance of this genre and the way it is justified. It also presents a host of findings that displays the necessity out of which this genre rose, with references to Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights and Mathew Lewis’ The Monk.