Unfolding Nan Astleys Gender Performance In Sarah Waters' Tipping The Velvet

Abstract

Victorian era is considered to be the most phenomenal era of literature. Several scientific discoveries took place in this era. It was a period of high moral values. In domestic life male-dominated the family members. The role of the female was to serve male members of the family. Education was the closed book for most of the woman. Sarah Waters’ novels represent queer gender identities of the Victorian era. Allan Hamilton wrote in the American Journal of insanity that a homosexual woman (class of gender) was usually of a masculine type, or if she presented none of the ‘characteristics’ the male was a subject of pelvic disorder with scanty menstruation and was more or less hysterical or insane. Some genders occur out of the cultural constructs, that do not confirm their sexuality and their sexuality is considered after the repetitive acts of sexual stylization, cross-dressing, and impersonation.