Representations of Lovesickness in Victorian Literature

Abstract

Given the central place it occupies in human life and relations, it is hardly surprising that romantic love as well as the distress caused by unrequited love is a universal phenomenon that has been explored by numerous writers over the years. Passionate love can be defined as a state of intense desire for fusion with another. When love is reciprocated and union is achieved, the lover feels a sense of fulfilment and joyful ecstasy.  If the lover is rejected or scorned, however, s/he is overwhelmed with an acute sensation of emptiness, often accompanied with feelings of anxiety and despair. For the purposes of this article, I will focus on representations of lovesickness in two novels from the Victorian period: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. Drawing on the sociologist Eva Illouz’ Why Love Hurts? and the psychologist Dorothy Tennov’s conceptualization of love and limerence, I will examine how the emotional trauma experienced by Catherine and Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights and Rosanna Spearman in The Moonstone causes all three characters to feel intense suffering and prolonged misery, leading - eventually - to their destruction.

Keywords

• Lovesickness,Victorian literature,Wuthering Heights,The Moonstone

Viktorya Dönemi Edebiyatında Karasevda Betimlemeleri

Abstract

İnsan hayatı ve ilişkilerinde kapladığı merkezi yer göz önünde bulundurulduğunda, romantik aşk ve karşılıksız aşkın seneler boyunca birçok yazar tarafından incelenmiş olması hiç şaşırtıcı değildir. Tutkulu aşk bir başkasıyla birleşmeye yönelik kuvvetli bir arzu duymak olarak tanımlanabilir. Aşkı karşılık görürse seven kişi derin bir tatmin ve coşkunluk hissi yaşar. Aşkı karşılıksız kalırsa ya da hor görülürse ise şiddetli bir boşluk hissiyle beraber sıklıkla endişe ve umutsuzluk duygularına kapılır. Bu makalenin amacı, Viktorya döneminde yazılmış Emily Bronte’nin Uğultulu Tepeler ve Wilkie Collins’in Aytaşı romanlarında karasevda betimlemelerini irdelemektir. Sosyolog Eva Illouz’un Aşk Neden Acıtır? adlı çalışması ve psikolog Dorothy Tennov’un aşk ve tutkulu aşk hakkındaki düşüncelerinden yola çıkarak, bu romanlarda karakterlerin yaşadığı duygusal travmanın nasıl derin acılar hissetmelerine ve en nihayetinde yok olmalarına sebep olduğu incelenecektir.

Keywords

• Karasevda,Viktorya dönemi edebiyatı,Uğultulu Tepeler,Aytaşı

References

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