A Woman’s Worth: A Portrait of Single, Unmarried Women in Fiction

This thesis explores the characterization of single women and the theme of singleness in fiction and explores how nineteenth-century British literature portrayed single women using the writers’ observations of societal standards and cultural shifts throughout the century. The artist statement delves into the inspiration and origins of the project, along with a personal journey to faith. The critical paper titled “A Portrait of Single Women in Nineteenth-Century British Literature” analyzes five British novels, Emma, Jane Eyre, Shirley, Middlemarch, and The Portrait of a Lady, that discuss single women or have a theme of singleness. The creative manuscript portion is the beginning of Aftermath, a sci-fi fantasy and romance about twenty-seven-year-old Lumerian woman, Vy’meria Lumoira, who navigates her sense of self-worth and identity as a single woman who has never been in a relationship. The piece explores how society views women who are single despite being of marriageable age. In conclusion, historical remnants of the stigmas and societal perceptions of single women can be seen today, which makes literature with the characterization and theme of singleness to have continued relevance and a place within the hearts of single women readers who are inspired by such writing.