Suffragist and Anti-Suffragist Ideals through the Lens of Female Characters in Selected English Plays at the Turn of the 20th Century

Fidel, Lena (author), Šporčič, Anamarija (mentor)

This thesis examines the representation of suffragist and anti-suffragist beliefs and ideals in English drama at the turn of the 20th century, with a focus on suffrage drama as a distinct literary sub-genre. While suffrage plays have often been dismissed as mere political propaganda, this research prioritises their artistic and thematic qualities, attempting to argue for their place within the broader literary canon. It strives to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of suffrage drama, presenting it not only as a political tool but also as a significant form of literary expression that continues to resonate with current discussions on gender and social change. The theoretical introduction explains the historical context surrounding the suffrage movement and the literary movements of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras. It includes a brief discussion of prominent female character archetypes: the angel of the house, the New Woman, and the fallen woman. A sub-chapter is dedicated to suffrage drama – its origin, purpose, characteristics, and prior evaluations by experts in literature, theatre, and history. The following plays have been selected based on their thematic relevance, literary merit, and diversity of perspectives: Mrs Warren’s Profession by George Bernard Shaw, A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde, The New Woman by Sydney Grundy, Votes for Women by Elizabeth Robins, Lady Geraldine’s Speech by Beatrice Harraden, How the Vote Was Won by Cicely Hamilton and Christopher St. John, Press Cuttings by George Bernard Shaw, A Pageant of Great Women by Cicely Hamilton, Her Vote by Henry Vernon Esmond, Miss Appleyard’s Awakening by Evelyn Glover, The Suffragette’s Redemption by Inglis Allen, and An Anti-Suffragist or The Other Side by Harry Major Paull. The plays were written between 1890 and 1914. Through a combination of literary analysis and historical contextualisation, this thesis investigates how playwrights employed literary and dramatic techniques to engage with contemporary debates on gender and politics. The research is guided by key questions regarding the literary and political dimensions of the selected plays, the role of female characters in articulating suffragist or anti-suffragist ideals, and the use of language and emotion to illustrate those ideals.

• Language: English
• Keywords: English drama, political drama, suffrage drama, suffragism, anti-suffragism, female characters
• Work type: Master's thesis/paper
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Year: 2025
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-174393
• COBISS.SI-ID: 254027267
• Publication date in RUL: 02.10.2025

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Sufražistični in antisufražistični ideali skozi prizmo ženskih likov v izbranih angleških dramskih delih na prelomu 20. stoletja

Abstract

Magistrsko delo raziskuje angleška dramska dela na prehodu v 20. stoletje, pri čemer se osredotoča na sufražistične in antisufražistične ideale, ki so se v tej literarni zvrsti pogosto pojavljali. Poseben poudarek namenja sufražistični drami kot samostojnemu literarnemu žanru. Strokovnjaki na področju književnosti in literarne zgodovine so sufražistično dramo večkrat prikazali kot orodje za politično propagando, manj pozornosti pa so dosedanje raziskave namenile umetniški in tematski vrednosti teh del, ki naslavljajo še vedno relevantna vprašanja spola in družbenih sprememb. Magistrsko delo zato poskuša predstaviti žanr v celostni podobi in ga približati literarnemu kanonu. Teoretični uvod prikaže zgodovinske in literarne okoliščine, v katerih so izbrana dramska dela nastala. Pozno viktorijansko in edvardijansko obdobje predstavljata vrhunec sufražističnega gibanja v Angliji, prav tako pa so v tem obdobju na književnost vplivala številna gibanja in ideje. Ker so se pogosto pojavljali nekateri zanimivi arhetipi ženskih likov, so le-ti podrobneje orisani: “New Woman” oz. nova ženska, hišni angel ter t. i. “fallen woman” oz. padla ženska. Eno izmed podpoglavij je namenjeno sufražistični drami in predstavi njen izvor, namen, značilnosti in predhodne evalvacije žanra. Naslednjih dvanajst dramskih del za podrobno analizo je bilo izbranih na podlagi primerne tematike, književne in umetniške vrednosti ter raznolikosti avtorskih perspektiv: George Bernard Shaw – Mrs Warren’s Profession, Oscar Wilde – A Woman of No Importance, Sydney Grundy – The New Woman, Elizabeth Robins – Votes for Women, Beatrice Harraden – Lady Geraldine’s Speech, Cicely Hamilton and Christopher St. John – How the Vote Was Won, George Bernard Shaw – Press Cuttings, Cicely Hamilton – A Pageant of Great Women, Henry Vernon Esmond – Her Vote, Evelyn Glover – Miss Appleyard’s Awakening, Inglis Allen – The Suffragette’s Redemption, Harry Major Paull – An Anti-Suffragist or The Other Side. Dela so nastala v obdobju med 1890 in 1914. Magistrsko delo preučuje uporabo literarnih in gledališčnih tehnik za spodbujanje diskusije o spolu in politiki, pri tem pa povezuje literarno analizo ter družbeno-zgodovinski kontekst. Raziskavo vodijo vprašanja o literarnih in političnih temeljih dramskih del ter o vlogi ženskih likov pri vključevanju sufražističnih ali antisufražističnih idealov, pod drobnogled pa naloga postavi tudi način, na katerega dramska dela prikažejo omenjene ideale skozi rabo jezika in čustev.

• Keywords: angleška dramatika, politična dramatika, sufražistična dramatika, sufražizem, antisufražizem, ženski liki