“A light was seen to dart from eyes | That mortal never own’d”: Gender and Power Dynamics in Gothic Nuns

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the representation of ghostly nuns in Gothic literature, examining how these spectral figures reflect and critique the dynamics of gender and power in a patriarchal society. Through an analysis of both fictional and poetic works, this study demonstrates that the figure of the ghostly nun is a powerful symbol of repressed desires, social transgression, and supernatural agency. In Chapter One, the discussion focuses on Matthew Lewis’s The Monk (1796) and Charlotte Brontë’s Villette (1853), highlighting how the spectral nun embodies themes of corruption, forbidden desire, and psychological repression. In The Monk, the bleeding nun represents the consequences of repressed female sexuality and societal transgression, destabilising traditional gender and moral hierarchies. Meanwhile, in Villette, the spectral nun blurs the boundaries between reality and imagination, symbolising the psychological tensions tied to female autonomy and societal constraints. Chapter Two shifts to an exploration of Gothic poetry, focusing specifically on Anne Bannerman’s Tales of Superstition and Chivalry (1802). The analysis covers the poems: ‘The Perjured Nun’, ‘The Dark Ladie’, and ‘The Prophetess of the Oracle of Seam’, revealing how these spectral figures serve as metaphors for patriarchal oppression and the enduring power of suppressed forces. ‘The Perjured Nun’ delves into themes of guilt, retribution, and betrayal, using the ghostly nun to reflect on the consequences of breaking moral and societal codes. While ‘The Dark Ladie’ and ‘The Prophetess of the Oracle of Seam’ do not depict literal nuns, their spectral female figures challenge traditional gender roles, highlighting the tension between submission and rebellion within a patriarchal system.

The central argument of this dissertation posits that the ghostly nun is a site of both vulnerability and power, embodying the unresolved anxieties surrounding female autonomy and transgression. By examining a range of Gothic texts—from The Monk and Villette to Bannerman’s poetry—this study demonstrates that the ghostly nun trope serves as a critical space for the Gothic genre’s interrogation of societal norms. Ultimately, the spectral nun emerges as a potent symbol of resistance against patriarchal structures, haunting the boundaries of life, death, and gendered expectations.