Spaces of Becoming : Gendered Spaces and Identity Formation in Jane Eyre and My Ántonia

Sammanfattning

This essay examines how female identity is shaped by confronting and navigating gendered spaces, including natural environments, in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and Willa Cather’s My Ántonia. Through a feminist lens, a comparative study using Doreen Massey’s theory of space, place and gender is made. Furthermore, this study also examines the protagonists’ identity formation over time and through a Bildungsroman perspective, notably in comparison to the traditional male representations. Even though the novels are written in different historical and social contexts, this study shows similarities in terms of how female identity is shaped in relation to social constraints and gender expectations. Jane Eyre and My Ántonia both challenge traditional views of femininity, as the narratives suggest female fulfilment occurs outside expected gender norms and masculine subordination.