"Those are the real gifts": Fictional representation of philanthropy in Anne Brontë's Agnes Grey and Mary Cholmondeley's Red Pottage

Abstract

This thesis addresses the representation of fictional philanthropy in two Victorian novels by two women writers; Anne Brontë's Agnes Grey and Mary Cholmondeley's Red Pottage. Philanthropy and the notion of the gift are brought together with gender in the figure of the Lady Bountiful." The figure is valuable for the novels' didactic function as well as for their display of social critique. The novels' emphasis on true values is inspirational and serves an educational purpose. The thought that literature should both teach" and delight" is also addressed in this thesis.