Class Treatment of Animals in the Novels of Anne Bronte

Year 2023, Issue: 17, 25 - 48, 10.06.2023

Barış Ağır

https://doi.org/10.46250/kulturder.1242159

Abstract

The 19th century represents a crucial epoch in the nascent field of animal studies, garnering the interest of scholars and writers from a variety of disciplines. The Victorian era initiated a discussion regarding the status of animals, a topic that endures in modern times. Anne Bronte, a prominent English Victorian author, presents her perspective on the contentious issue of animal rights in her literary works. The extent to which Bronte's characters respect, sympathize with, and look out for the well-being of animals is most evident in her novels. Through her straightforward portrayal of animals and their connections to people's social status, she shows how middle-class culture emerges in her novels. Anne Bronte's two novels, The Tenant of Widfell Hall and Agnes Grey, both feature animal writing, highlighting the vital part that an animal-centric worldview plays in the formation and maintenance of middle-class identities and traditions. Bronte’s protagonists come from the upper and middle classes, and these two socioeconomic groups clearly contrast in their treatment of animals. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to further our understanding of Anne Bronte's animal writing by analyzing its role in the formation of middle-class culture.

Keywords

class, animals, abusing, smypathy, compatibility

Anne Bronte’nin Romanlarında Hayvanlara Sınıfsal Davranışlar

Abstract

19. yüzyıl, çeşitli disiplinlerden bilim insanlarının ve yazarların ilgisini çeken, dönem içerisinde gelişmekte olan hayvan çalışmaları alanında çok önemli bir dönemi temsil etmektedir. Viktorya dönemi, modern zamanlarda devam eden bir konu olan hayvanların statüsüne ilişkin bir tartışma alanı yaratmıştır. İngiliz Viktorya döneminin önde gelen yazarlarından Anne Bronte, eserlerinde hayvan haklarıyla ilgili tartışmaları ele almaktadır. Bronte'nin karakterlerinin hayvanlara ne kadar saygı duyduğu, onlara sempati duyduğu ve refahını gözettiği en çok romanlarında belirgindir. Hayvanları ve onların insanların sosyal statüsüyle olan bağlantılarını dolaysız tasviriyle, romanlarında orta sınıf kültürünün nasıl ortaya çıktığını gösterir. Anne Bronte'nin iki romanı, Wildfell Konağı Kiracısı ve Agnes Grey, hayvan yazınına yer vererek, orta sınıf kimliklerinin ve geleneklerinin oluşumunda ve sürdürülmesinde hayvan merkezli bir dünya görüşünün oynadığı hayati rolü vurgulamaktadır. Bronte'nin kahramanları üst ve orta sınıftan gelir ve bu iki sosyoekonomik grup, hayvanlara davranışlarında belirgin bir karşıtlık göstermektedir. Bu bağlamda, bu çalışmanın amacı, Anne Bronte'nin hayvan yazınının orta sınıf kültürünün oluşumundaki rolünü analiz ederek bu konudaki kavrayışımızın gelişmesine katkıda bulunmaktır.

Keywords

sınıf, hayvanlar, suistimal, sempati, uyumluluk

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