‘I Prefer a Master’: Female Power in Charlotte Brontë's Shirley

Abstract

Feminist critics who characterize Charlotte Brontë's Shirley as a novel about the woman question consistently express dissatisfaction with Shirley's marriage, seeing marriage as an institution that inherently subordinates women. This paper questions the prevalent belief that marriage and female power must be mutually exclusive. By looking closely at the text and giving more attention to the nuances of tone and humour within the Shirley–Louis plot,I argue that Charlotte successfully negotiates an ending that allows for a subversive view of women's power and potential within the conventional role of ‘wife’.