Concetti Chiave
- Dorothea is portrayed as an unconventional woman in Victorian society, challenging societal norms through her thoughts and actions.
- Despite being an orphan, Dorothea has favorable social connections, with ancestors who were clergymen or admirals.
- She lives with her sister Celia under the guardianship of their uncle, Mr. Brooke, in Tipton Grange.
- Dorothea is well-read, deeply religious, and holds strong Christian beliefs, which influence her views on marriage and life.
- Her ideal marriage involves a husband who acts as a mentor and teacher, reflecting her desire for intellectual companionship.
What is Dorothea's unique position?
Dorothea is a complex figure, which represents an ecception in what a woman in Victorian Society was.
The autor presents her through her actions, her thought and the public opinion, in order to express how the girl was anticonformist for that time and what was the society’s reaction at such a personality.
She’s a young girl, not yet twenty, who lost her parents when she was a child. Although she’s an orphan, she has good connections. In fact, her ancestors weren’t properly aristocratic, but neither belonged to the lower classes. Most of them were clergymen or admirals.
Dorothea lives with her sister Celia in an estate in Tipton Grance, belonging to their uncle. Mr. Brooke is not just a relative: he’s also the guardian of the women.
Dorothea's personality and beliefs
She has a strong personality and particolar thoughts: she’s not certainly as a typical woman in Victorian Age was.
She knows many passages of books by heart: she’s literacied and acculturated.
Dorothea is a fervid cristian and prays a lot: she also fasted to follow cristian doctriny and read theological books.
Her having such a strong personality and respecting such a rigid cristian code make her hardly a good catch. She was handsome, with a good prospect and expected to marry, but her behavior might keep men at distance and make herself refuse of marriage offers.
The protagonist has a strange idea of marriage. She would marry a great man with personality and “whose odd habits it would have been glorious piety to endure”. She refuses the idea of marrying a person with weak thoughts, and who always gives her the reason about all the matters, without having a debate. Using the sentence in the extract: “but an amiable handsome baronet, who said "Exactly" to her remarks even when she expressed uncertainty, - how could he affect her as a lover?”
For her, “the really delightful marriage must be that where your husband was a sort of father, and could teach you even Hebrew, if you wished it”, so she expresses a sort of devotions in her husband’s regards.
The author reports that she had a child-idea of marriage, and although she doesn’t express her opinion explicitly, she seemsto criticise this aspect of her character.
Domande da interrogazione
- What makes Dorothea an exception in Victorian society?
Dorothea is portrayed as an anticonformist figure in Victorian society due to her strong personality, unique beliefs, and actions that defy societal norms. Despite being an orphan, she is well-connected and educated, which sets her apart from the typical woman of her time.
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