A Feminist Perspective of A Sicilian Romance and The Castle of Otranto In 18th century novels, a common means of discussing the role of women in society is through the characterization of two good sisters. The heroine of such a novel is a pure and kind young woman who also has a streak of courage. Her sister may be more good-natured and kind, but she is more submissive and reserved. I would love to watch these sisters (and their mothers) in Ann Radcliffe's A Sicilian Romance and Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto. It is possible that The Castle of Otranto was the first to introduce these two good sisters as a means of exploring the duties and expectations of the modern woman and her right to love. Interestingly, the book advocates for more individuality and less submission. One way contemporary ideas of femininity were defined was through books of conduct written to guide women. “Prescriptive writing…in the eighteenth century tended to portray most women as largely passive in the face of men, biology, and fate…” (Hunt, 75). Walpole and Radcliffe explore what happens when a woman is not passive. The consequences of this independence are measured against the fate of her more acceptably feminine sister (and mother). Although not related by blood, Isabella was raised as Matilda's sister, and her relationship with the prince and princess is that of daughter and parents. Isabella has a more independent identity than Matilda. There are suggestions that Isabella is slightly more sensual than Matilda, someone who admits her sexuality and attraction to men. Bianca, Matilde's lady, says: “But here my lady Isabella would not be so reserved with me: she will let me talk about young men;...... middle of paper... inevitably having to compromise her virtue for the his happiness. Walpole allows Matilda to remain obedient by causing her death to occur before she has to make a final choice. "GOOD! of course, lady, you were born to be a saint", Bianca says to Matilda, "and you cannot resist the vocation; you will finally end up in a convent" (Walpole, 42). Bianca is close to the truth while Matilda is martyred. Works CitedHunt, Margaret R. The Middling Sort: Commerce, Gender, and Family in England, 1680-1780. London: University of California Press, 1996. Radcliffe, Ann , 1993.Tobin, Beth Fowkes. Eighteenth-Century History, Gender, and Literature. London: University of Georgia Press, 1994. Walpole, Horace, 1950. 1998