Changes in the Representation of Heroines: Australian Women’s Writings from the 1880s～1990s

Abstract

This paper seeks to reveal changing ideals of love, marriage and life through three novels written by Australian women spanning the twentieth century. Represented in this paper are Rosa Praed’s The Bond of Wedlock, Drucila Modjeska’s Poppy and Christina Stead’s For Love Alone, as the three heroines in these novels show us the gradual development of feminist thinking in terms of women’s financial, emotional and social independence. The first heroine, Ariana in The Bond of Wedlock, reflects the reality of women’s problematic condition in patriarchal marriage in the late nineteenth century. The second novel Poppy recounts the heroine’s journey through life to secure financial independence by gaining a college education and a career. The third novel, For Love Alone, portrays its heroine, Teresa, as one who rejects commitment to patriarchal marriage from the outset. Furthermore, this story describes the heroine’s determination to stand on her own two feet in order to choose her own path in love, marriage and life. With each novel, I will consider parallels that exist with twentieth century feminist ideas. Through these novels, we observe how women dealt with and either surrendered to or overcame the traditional patriarchal social arrangement. The novels reflect our changing views on the notions of women’s independence, freedom and happiness, which are themselves fundamental elements in the discussion on how to define and improve the condition of women in contemporary society.