Content introduction Main body

^CONTENT
Introduction…………………………………………………………………..…..3
Main body.

1. 
   Charles Dickens' life and experience…………………………….…...….….7
   
2. 
   Construction of feminine identity through Charles Dickens’…………….. 10
   
3. 
   Marriage contracts and the effects of cobverture…………………………..15
   
4. 
   . Bleak House and the social position of Women………………………..…23
   

Conclusion………………………………………………………………..……….28
List of used literatures…………………………………………………………...30


INTRODUCTION
In 1974, women were granted the right to receive their own credit cards. In 2010, women were given the opportunity to file claims of wage discrimination. In each case, criticism and comments concerning women's rights required changes to the legislation. When the law tried to regulate society, society rebuffed and demanded fair treatment of all people. Anxiety and social commentary related to women's legal rights began long before the 1970s. "Bleak House"1 and "The Brotherhood of the Ring" are two texts that are related to legislative changes and cultural anxiety about gender roles and relationships. Despite the differences in genres, both works of epic fiction have a common thread: men sought to actively exclude women, creating an identity and controlling actions. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my teaching supervisor, Professor Stephen Arnott, who enthusiastically went along with me on this “honorable journey”.
"The Gloomy House" offers a number of examples of the development of the female character, and Dickens enters into a dialogue in which the role of women in the Victorian era is questioned. Echoing the themes of Dickens' work, The Brotherhood of the Ring raises questions about the control of women and their actions. In order to understand the issues raised by each text, it is extremely important to consider each text through the prism of a new historicism, a critical approach that explores how the author's work and its cultural and historical context shaped each other. Dickens' text is clearly borrowed from the legal field, while Tolkien's fantastic text is not openly connected with the law. Charles Dickens' The Gloomy House and J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring can be compared with British legal texts of the same periods in order to study how women's character and identity were formed, as well as how they were controlled in relation to their interaction with the public and private spheres. By studying literary representations of the role of women, each text can be better understood in both legal and cultural contexts.
The approach of the new historicism is necessary to understand the cultural consequences of both the "Bleak House" and the "Brotherhood of the Ring". The new historicism reinforces the belief that cultural and, in this case, legal perspectives should be considered as parallels in order to fully understand each text. It is important to note the ways of interaction between the public and private spheres for the formation of gender identity and norms of both 1853 and 1937. In both periods, British society publicly regulated women's identity and tried to restrict women to the private sphere. The constructions of female gender identity were rigidly fixed by the legislation of 1853 and 1937, which was reflected both in Dickens' more frank literary satire on legal institutions and in Tolkien's subtle, fantastic interpretation of legal contexts. The Breach of Promise Act and the Law on More Effective Prevention and Punishment of Aggravated Assaults on Women and Children affected women of the Dickens era. In addition, several female activists, such as Caroline Norton, advocated for the empowerment of Victorian women. As for Tolkien's work, the Law on Marital Relations of 19373 and the development of negligence as a tort influenced his compilation of the Brotherhood of the Ring.
In Victorian England, society created an ideology based on gender and social status, which was created and maintained, especially in the middle classes. Men were supposed to be actors in the public sphere, and “the sphere of the happiest and most beneficial influence of a woman was the domestic sphere.” Thus, the household, like society, maintained a good patriarchal order. "The Gloomy House" by Charles Dickens is a Victorian novel that vividly presents the structure of individual spheres and their impact on everyday life. While the law is aimed at helping individuals, it also plays a key role in denying women mobility outside the private sphere.The ideology of individual spheres was focused on the Victorian ideal of the “household". The selfless man personified this ideal, and his presence was the only one allowed in the public sphere.
This ideal is consistent with Victorian laws regarding the concealment of information. According to the laws on concealment, the woman, as well as her property, passed to her male partner.5 From a legal point of view, both a man and a woman were considered as one legal entity specifically identified as a male partner. As for the private sphere, the functioning of a successful household was attributed to the work of a submissive and dutiful woman in a private home. A man's duty is to come to terms with the harsh realities of the public sphere in order to protect his female half. In fulfilling his duty, a man protects a woman from the public sphere; “in his house, which she manages, unless she herself wants it, there should be no dangers, no temptations, no reasons for mistakes or insults”6. It was believed that society flourished when separate spheres were supported; women were actively excluded from the public sphere, and men controlled the private sphere.