Abstract
This project examines the British usage of the literary Gypsy trope. Through historical background and an application of Edward Said's Orientalism, this project explores the racial, ethnic, and cultural prejudice aimed at Gypsy groups that has been implemented in British literature. Using Aphra Behn's The Rover, Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, and D.H. Lawrence's The Virgin and the Gipsy, this project critiques the literary representations of Gypsies through the application of masquerade by female characters. Finally, this project discusses how and why this accepted literary trope is harmful both in and outside of literature.
Advisor
Prendergast, Maria
Department
English
Recommended Citation
Kopp-Weber, Zoe, "Gypsy Girl: A Criticial Examination of the Female Gypsy Masquerade in British Literature" (2014). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 5977.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/5977
Disciplines
Literature in English, British Isles | Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies
Keywords
British literature, Gypsy, Roma, Romany, Orientalism, Charlotte Bronte, D.H. Lawrence, Aphra Behn
Publication Date
2014
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2014 Zoe Kopp-Weber