IDENTITY AND GENDER PERFORMATIVITY IN WILKIE COLLINS’S THE LAW AND THE LADY
IDENTITY AND GENDER PERFORMATIVITY IN WILKIE COLLINS’S THE LAW AND THE LADY

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this paper is to argue that The Law and the Lady highlights the existence of a male-female binary opposition the characters must adhere to, with conventional gender roles that must be performed by each. Throughout the novel, as the female protagonist continues an investigation to uncover her husband’s involvement in the murder of his first wife, she struggles with adhering to traditional gender roles, while simultaneously feeling the pressure to reach a certain standard of femininity in order to obtain the information she needs. By using Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity, this paper will also examine the manner in which identity and gender performativity are connected and how they influence the protagonist to challenge conventional gender norms

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