Fleabag gave us the astute (if slightly pessimistic) perspective that ‘women have pain built in’. This is reflected in how a great many of us, particularly young women of today, are attracted to versions of literature and media that relate to Gothic melancholy and feminine experiences of depression and guilt. But is this attraction harmful to our emotional health, or can it perhaps be a comforting solace that unites us with a universal feminine struggle spanning the past and present? Narratives such as that of Jane Eyre, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, The House of Mirth, and Rebecca, to name a few, explore various afflictions that torment young women, alongside beautifully aesthetic language,
and we can observe a transition of this trope into modern-day literature, such as the works of Sally Rooney, Maggie O’Farrell, and Jacqueline Harpman. So what is it about these writings that continuously attract young women?
In a social climate where emotional health and wellbeing are more prioritised than ever, it would appear
counterproductive to be consuming literature that has the potential to depress and disturb young women, who are, as ever, experiencing a frightening amount of real-life news relating to the suffering of girls in the world today. Anti-women incel culture and legislative attacks on female autonomy are at an all-time high, so choosing to engage with narratives depicting the various afflictions of women across time periods may not appear to be the best move, in a time when we should be focusing on uplifting ourselves as women and trying to create positive change. Yet the allure of these painful narratives remains prevalent. How is it that these narratives present such a comfort to young feminist readers?
Whilst characters like Jane Eyre, Tess Durbeyfield, and Helen Graham, to name a few, are purely fictitious, they represent many real women of their time periods and the afflictions that they were subjected to. This identifying of shared experiences with women of different eras provides an inexpressible solace, particularly as many of the emotions expressed are emotions that many women share, regardless of time period – themes such as emotional abuse, sexual assault, guilt, self-hatred, and detachment. Reading and absorbing these narratives of pain are of course likely to negatively impact our perception of feminine experience; however, experiences such as those expressed in classical literature speak across time to women everywhere, and arguably provide an (albeit melancholy) sense of tragic companionship.
For girls who love to read, hearing complicated emotions expressed so eloquently in classical narratives can be an immensely comforting experience and can assist us in reflecting upon our own difficult experiences, assisted with new and potentially healing mindsets. These narratives showcase feminine strength in extremely nuanced and powerful ways, and inspire us to have faith in ourselves and in our strength as young women. Authors like Sally Rooney showcase this complex female melancholy in more relatable modern-day instances, such as Frances (Conversations With Friends) in her experiences of mental and physical ill-health, guilt, and academic stress, and Marianne (Normal People) in her emotionally painful experience of love and relationships.
These fictional women can also provide readers with a sense of emotional catharsis, in a safe realm of intimacy with the characters and contexts of these books, with enough of a psychological distance from reality that it can almost feel like looking into a mirror and seeing other women from across time staring back at you. For many girls, processing trauma, pain, or difficult emotions is not something that can come easily. The process of reading and identifying with similar emotions can even be a healing process through the second-hand confrontation of these experiences through literature. This tradition of uniting young female readers through beautifully melancholy written expressions of pain is a cycle across time that will continue to provide a comforting space of companionship, in a world that cannot help but inflict pain
on its young women.