The finesse of Subverting Genre and Inverting Gender in Elizabeth Barrett Brownings Aurora Leigh

Abstract

Genre and Gender are important tools in deciding ones preferences in Literature. Mainstream Literature is replete with the conventional themes and ideas. But going against the tide in search of newer formats, requires a lot of grit and deep understanding. This advantage is enjoyed by writers and is considered as speculative freedom and poetic license. Experimentation on the conventional literary order gives way to de-canonization of the stereotypical framework In the above perspective this paper will attempt to analyze Elizabeth Barrett Brownings Aurora Leigh as a reflection of the early stirrings of a transition in literature that had taken full force in the nineteenth century. The thrust of this study would be to unravel the intrigues that mark Gender and Genre as two fixed literary entities. In fact, recent scholarly revisions indicate that these two are not just parallel spaces which create identity and ideology, but are also mutually interconnected and interwoven. The paper will also bring to light how the author explores and negotiates a fluid border of literary tradition which are themselves in constantly change. Brownings versatility of mingling genres to fuse new composite wholes, and inverting gender to unsettle distinctions, gives a unique charm to the entire gamut of her creative work.
Keywords: Subversion, Inversion ,Genre ,Gender Aurora Leigh.