Journal of Guangxi Teachers Education University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition) ›› 2017, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (2): 102-108.doi: 10.16088/j.issn.1001-6597.2017.02.016

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Gender Performance in Sarah Waters’Affinity and Tipping the Velvet

SUN Meng-tian   

  1. School of Culture and Communication, The University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
  • Received:2016-11-23 Online:2017-03-20 Published:2018-07-16

Abstract: Sarah Waters is one of the most famous contemporary British writers, well known for her neo-Victorian novels. Like all other neo-Victorian novels, her works not only present the historical and social background of the Victorian England, but reflect the influence of contemporary ideologies and theories. Her Affinity and Tipping the Velvet are two of the most famous neo-Victorian novels, both of which vividly present the lives of marginalized women in Victorian England. What’s special about her presentation is that it’s based on contemporary understandings of sex/sexuality. While re-presenting the past, she reflects upon the past and reveals the truth of gender. Drawing on Butler’s gender performativity theory, this essay will examine how Waters dissects gender by re-presenting the lives of Victorian women.

Key words: gender performance, Affinity, Tipping the Velvet, Sarah Waters, neo-Victorian novel

CLC Number: 

  • I561.4
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