Női szerepek és anyagi kiszolgáltatottság 19. századi magyar prózaszövegekben
Female Roles and Material Dependency in Nineteenth-Century Hungarian Prose Texts

Summary/Abstract: The study examines female characters in nineteenth-century Hungarian prose fiction with a focus on their material dependency. Alongside traditional roles – wife, mother, sister – appear socially and economically marginalized figures, whose destinies are often interpreted through the association of poverty with moral purity. The novels also reveal a shift from Christian morality to economic ethics, as women’s decisions and strategies become intelligible within the logic of economic interest. The analysis shows that the ethic of renunciation often constitutes women’s sole imperative, granting them moral superiority while simultaneously reinforcing their social subordination. Through numerous examples, the study demonstrates how diverse female role models complicate seemingly schematic representations. Rereading both canonized and lesser-known novels allows us to perceive the complex interplay of economy and morality in shaping female roles in the period.

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