A Feminist Perspective of a Sicilian Romance and the Castle of OtrantoIn 18th-century novels, a common way of discussing the role of women in society is to characterize two good sisters. The heroine of such a novel is a pure and kind young woman who also has a touch of courage. Her sister may be more good and kind, but she is more submissive and reserved. I would love to watch these sisters (and their mothers) in Ann Radcliffe's A Sicilian Romance and Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto. It is possible that The Castle of Otranto was the first to present these two good sisters as a means of exploring the duties and expectations of the modern woman and her right to love. Interestingly, the book argues in favor of increased individuality and less submissiveness. One of the ways contemporary ideas about femininity were defined was through conduct books written to guide women. “Normative writings…in the 18th century tended to portray most women as largely passive in the face of men, biology, and destiny…” (Hunt, 75). Walpole and Radcliffe explore what happens when a woman is not passive. The consequences of this independence are evaluated in relation to the fate of the more feminine sister (and mother). Although not a blood relative, Isabella was raised as Matilda's sister, and her relationship with the prince and princess is that of daughter to parents. Isabella has a more independent identity than Matilda. Some suggest that Isabella is slightly more sensual than Matilda, someone who admits her sexuality and attraction to men. Bianca, Mathilde's lady, says: "But there is my Lady Isabelle who would not be so reserved to me: she will let me talk to her about young men;...... middle of paper ...... that will inevitably have to compromise his virtue for his happiness. Walpole allows Matilda to remain obedient by ensuring that her death occurs before she must make a final choice. “Good! certainly, Madam, you were born to be a saint,” Bianca said to Mathilde, “and one cannot resist her vocation; you will finally end up in a convent” (Walpole, 42 years old). Bianca is close to the truth then that Matilda is martyred. Hunt, Margaret R. The Middling Sort: Commerce, Gender, and Family in England, 1680-1780. London: University of California Press, 1996Radcliffe, Ann. : Oxford University Press, 1993.Tobin, Beth Fowkes. History, Gender and Eighteenth-Century Literature London: University of Georgia Press, 1994. Walpole, The Castle of Otranto., 1950. 1998