Fictional literature isn’t just for our reading pleasure. When it flows from the pen of a skilled writer it can be used to propel social movements and change. Emily Hill, a spring 2014 graduate in English, explored this power of literature in her undergraduate honors research thesis. Hill examined the notion of marital entrapment in three works by the Brontë sisters: Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Of her subject matter, faculty mentor Dr. Kate Krueger noted, “Those novels show the pulse of the social moment and how women changed women’s rights. Representing their traumas in fiction versus court reports was powerful and led people to reexamine their situations. It led to greater equality.”
Hill hadn’t read any of the Brontë works until she took two courses taught by Krueger. “I really didn’t like Victorian literature until I came to college but then learned to like it. It is really unique that there’s a whole family of women writers in that time period.” With her interest sparked, Hill pursued and was awarded funding from the Arkansas Department of Education to complete a Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship – one of only four awarded in the state for English/Philosophy research. Of her analysis of the books, Hill said, “I think they are arguing that the courtship and marital practices of their time should be changed. Their practices are such that they have no real means to get to know their future mate. They are encouraged to marry for money and security, not for love. It had a negative effect on men too. The male characters were clearly unhappy with their circumstances. It was all-around bad for society.”
“Emily is really unique in terms of her social consciousness,” Krueger said. “She has a very powerful way of looking at the world and is very aware of the way we impact the world and interact as a society. It seemed natural to me that she would gravitate toward those texts because they are about using literature to impact society. I think that will make Emily a great teacher because she has a passion to make the world better by leading her classroom and students.” Beginning in Fall 2015, Hill will teach high school English in the Osceola School District. She plans to replicate things she’s learned from her high school and college teachers as she uses literature to spark dialogue and social change for the next generation.