The dualities that are often associated with female characters have taken many forms throughout the centuries. In the Victorian era, female characters were often presented as dual natured; oftentimes this division was represented through the use of a madwoman and a heroine. In the early 20th century, however, this motif was picked up by female poets, who used duality in order to express the disconnect women often feel from their family, their friends, and, especially, their bodies. In today‟s literature, these feelings of duality and separation are expressed through a literal separation, not between good and evil, but of body and soul. In all forms throughout history, this motif has been used as a representation of the freedom of spirit that all women possess, but that is often stifled by society.
","abstract_html":"<p>The dualities that are often associated with female characters have taken many forms throughout the centuries. In the Victorian era, female characters were often presented as dual natured; oftentimes this division was represented through the use of a madwoman and a heroine. In the early 20th century, however, this motif was picked up by female poets, who used duality in order to express the disconnect women often feel from their family, their friends, and, especially, their bodies. In today‟s literature, these feelings of duality and separation are expressed through a literal separation, not between good and evil, but of body and soul. In all forms throughout history, this motif has been used as a representation of the freedom of spirit that all women possess, but that is often stifled by society.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Leonard, DeLisa"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"English Language and Literature","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Laura George: Chair","Elisabeth Däumer: Committee Member"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2011,"date_issued":"2011-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2011-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:44Z","subjects":["women","bodily separation","Victorian","literature","feminism","male gaze","English Language and Literature"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/345","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Laura George: Chair","Elisabeth Däumer: Committee Member"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Leonard, DeLisa"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2011-09-23T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English Language and Literature"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["women","bodily separation","Victorian","literature","feminism","male gaze","English Language and Literature"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/345"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The dualities that are often associated with female characters have taken many forms throughout the centuries. In the Victorian era, female characters were often presented as dual natured; oftentimes this division was represented through the use of a madwoman and a heroine. In the early 20th century, however, this motif was picked up by female poets, who used duality in order to express the disconnect women often feel from their family, their friends, and, especially, their bodies. In today‟s literature, these feelings of duality and separation are expressed through a literal separation, not between good and evil, but of body and soul. In all forms throughout history, this motif has been used as a representation of the freedom of spirit that all women possess, but that is often stifled by society.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Women and bodily separation in literature from the Victorian era until today"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Laura George: Chair","Elisabeth Däumer: Committee Member"],"dc:creator":["Leonard, DeLisa"],"dc:date.available":["2011-09-23T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The dualities that are often associated with female characters have taken many forms throughout the centuries. In the Victorian era, female characters were often presented as dual natured; oftentimes this division was represented through the use of a madwoman and a heroine. In the early 20th century, however, this motif was picked up by female poets, who used duality in order to express the disconnect women often feel from their family, their friends, and, especially, their bodies. In today‟s literature, these feelings of duality and separation are expressed through a literal separation, not between good and evil, but of body and soul. In all forms throughout history, this motif has been used as a representation of the freedom of spirit that all women possess, but that is often stifled by society.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/345"],"dc:subject":["women","bodily separation","Victorian","literature","feminism","male gaze","English Language and Literature"],"dc:title":["Women and bodily separation in literature from the Victorian era until today"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English Language and Literature"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:44Z"}