Working Women in Victorian Literature: A Study of Forgotten Characters

Victorian literature reflects the socio-economic and cultural norms of 19th-century England, where the lives of working women often remained overshadowed by dominant narratives of domesticity and idealized femininity. This paper examines the representation of working women in Victorian literature, focusing on their roles, struggles, and agency within the context of industrialization and class dynamics. By analyzing texts such as Elizabeth Gaskell’s Mary Barton and North and South, Charles Dickens’s Hard Times, and George Eliot’s The Mill on the Floss, this study uncovers the nuanced portrayal of laboring women. It explores themes such as economic exploitation, resilience, and societal prejudice while critiquing the marginalization of working-class women in literary discourse. The paper highlights the historical significance of these characters, advocating for a re-evaluation of their roles in shaping Victorian literature and its feminist interpretations.