'We’re All the Same Nothingness': The ‘unhinged woman’ trope in contemporary literary fiction
Date
2025
Authors
Bill, Courtney
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Publisher
University Of Victoria
Abstract
The ‘unhinged woman trope’ is an emerging trend in literary fiction wherein women are unlikable in some way, whether it be morally complex, self-destructive, ugly, greedy, cruel, or otherwise defy patriarchal expectations. From weird to borderline insane, this trope functions both as a literary form and an acknowledgement of our shared humanity. I used this research to complete a first draft of a novel “Viral” which follows an unnamed protagonist who obsessively stalks a series of women in modern-day Port Coquitlam.
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Keywords
literature, fiction, women, feminist, novel, contemporary