Passive Resistance: Paralysis as Social Criticism in Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, Sophie Treadwell's Machinal and Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar.

Abstract

This thesis deals with three works of feminist fiction, two novels and one theatrical play. The three literary works that I will discuss are Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway (1925), Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal (1928) and Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar (1963). The central question in this thesis will be; in what way is paralysis portrayed in each work, and how is it represented as symptomatic of patriarchal oppression of women? This thesis will therefore set out to examine the social and historical context of these three works as well as the significance of certain elements that are used symbolically in each work. By using representations of paralysis as a point of departure, this thesis will examine how mental illness is used as social criticism in these three feminist literary works.