Exploring Feminized Landscapes in Victorian Erotica: Ecocriticism Meets Sociology

This chapter provides the theoretical tools to explore the primary themes in Sub-Umbra, one of the six serialised novels published in the Victorian erotic magazine The Pearl (1879-81). Firstly, it covers the strategy of feminizing and sexualizing landscapes and natural scenery. Secondly, it treats the sociological model of gentry masculinity and compares it with the representation of the main character and first-person narrator in the novel, a figure interacting with the gendered physical environment. Ideas for further research on Sub-Umbra and Victorian erotica are also offered.