『悲劇の詩神』にみる女性と結婚(<特集>ヘンリー・ジェイムズ『悲劇の詩神』をめぐって-「読み」の可能性を探る-)

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The so-called new woman novels in the late-nineteenth century England described women's radical ways of living and promoted the improvement of their social and legal status. Although James's The Tragic Muse was published around the same time in 1890, little scholarly attention has been given to their comparative analysis. In his novel, James conveyed the message that women should achieve autonomy in their life and choose their spouses or partners depending on what they really wanted in their lives. In this essay, I argue that James presented the heroine Miriam Rooth as a new woman who sought after her independence by acting. She refused the marriage proposal by an aristocratic diplomat in order to succeed in her career and chose an actor and owner of a theater for her husband. Her choice was based on her own determination. Miriam was different from the conventional Victorian women who depended on husbands and devoted their lives to families. The author also depicted the changing value in marriage among both middle-class and aristocratic women and emphasized the importance of equality between men and women in their relationship. James presented new matrimonial concepts by juxtaposing the lives of mothers and their daughters. The mothers were concerned with their family lineage and economic status in their marriage, while the daughters chose their partners who would respect their career and independence.
2009-03-31