Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Dangerous ‘New Woman’ In The Victorian Press: ‘Blind Alike To Maiden Modesty And Maternal Dignity, Danielle Nielsen

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

Present in photography, artwork, fiction, drama, and popular journalism, the New Woman was a familiar presence in late-Victorian Britain. By analyzing the journalistic portrayal of the New Woman and the construction of a negative femininity by those authors who opposed her and the values she represented, this essay draws from that popularity and presence. I argue that Victorians who disagreed with the political and social ramifications of the New Woman participated in discourse communities or communities of practice. These discourse communities portrayed the New Woman as one who was first, competitive rather than cooperative, and second, a mythical, unnatural creature. …