EXPLORING GENDER DYNAMICS AND POWER RELATIONS IN SELECTED NOVELS OF HILARY MANTEL: A CRITICAL FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Contemporary British fiction has increasingly engaged with questions of gender, power, identity, and social structures. Among modern novelists, Hilary Mantel occupies a distinctive position for her nuanced exploration of political authority, gendered experiences, historical consciousness, and individual agency. Her novels challenge conventional representations of women and expose the intricate mechanisms through which power operates within patriarchal societies. This study critically examines gender dynamics and power relations in selected novels of Hilary Mantel through the lens of feminist literary criticism. Focusing primarily on Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies, The Mirror and the Light, and selected contemporary narratives, the research investigates the construction of gender identities, female agency, patriarchal institutions, and resistance to dominant power structures. The study employs qualitative textual analysis supported by feminist theories advanced by Simone de Beauvoir, Judith Butler, Kate Millett, Elaine Showalter, and Michel Foucault's theory of power. Findings reveal that Mantel's fiction presents gender as a socially constructed and politically mediated category while simultaneously exposing the complexities of authority, surveillance, sexuality, and social control. The paper argues that Mantel redefines historical and literary narratives by foregrounding marginalized voices and challenging traditional patriarchal assumptions. The study contributes to contemporary literary scholarship by offering a comprehensive feminist interpretation of Mantel's representation of gender and power.