A Feminist Perspective of the Lady of ShalottIn an essay on feminist criticism, Linda Peterson of Yale University explains how literature can "reflect and shape the attitudes that have held women back" ( 330). From the perspective of a feminist critic, "The Lady of Shalott" provides its reader with an analysis of the Victorian woman's conflict between her place within, the domestic role of society, and her desire to break into the public sphere , external, which had generally been the domain of men. Read as a commentary on the role of women in Victorian society, "The Lady of Shalott" can be interpreted in several ways. Therefore, the speaker's comment is ambiguous: does he seek to strengthen the institution of patriarchal society while "punishing" the Lady with her death for her adventure into the public world of men, or does he sympathize with her desires for a more colorful world , active life? A careful reading reveals more than one possible answer to this question, but the main theme seems in tune with the Lady. By applying "feminist criticism" (Peterson 333-334) to Tennyson's famous poem, one can begin to understand how "The Lady of Shalott" not only analyzes, but actually criticizes the attitudes that held women back and, ultimately, makes a hopeful and less patriarchal statement about women's place in Victorian society. As noted in the Norton Anthology of English Literature, the Industrial Revolution provided women with the opportunity to work outside the home, but "also presented a growing challenge to traditional ideas of women's sphere" ("The Role of Women" 902). idea of ​​"public and private life as two 'separate spheres'... inextricably linked with women or men" (Gorham 4) had emerged as...... middle of paper......ian woman existing, albeit briefly, within the limits of patriarchal society. Abrams, MH, ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature 2. New York: Norton, 1993 in Victorian Literature." Abrams 902-904."The Woman Question." Abrams 1595-1597.Gorham, Deborah. The Victorian Girl and the Feminine Ideal. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1982.Martineau, Harriet. "Autobiography. " Abrams 1601-1604.Mulock, Dina Maria. "A Woman's Thoughts on Women." Abrams 1604- 1606.Peterson, Linda H. "What is Feminist Criticism?" Wuthering Heights. Ed. Linda H. Peterson. Boston: Bedford Books, 1992. 330-337.Tennyson, Alfred, Lord. "The Lady of Shalott." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. MH Abrams. 6th ed. vol. 2.New York: Norton, 1993. 1059-1063.