“New Woman” Expressed in British Stage Costumes at the End of the 19^th Century

— Focusing on The Case of Rebellious Susan —

Abstract

  At the end of the nineteenth century in Britain, the “New Woman” came to gain attention. Of the dramas which deal with New Woman, this article focuses on the drama The Case of Rebellious Susan by Henry Arthur Jones and examines the relationship between the story and the costumes worn by the characters, using newspapers and magazines of that time.
  Susan, the heroine, who could not forgive her unfaithful husband, wanted to go out and live with a young man. However, her hopes were dashed when the man married a young girl, and Susan continued to live her unhappy married life.
  There were two types of women. One was a woman wishing to uphold the traditional moral values of a household wife and wearing fashionable dresses. The other was a 'new woman' insisting on women's rights and wearing tailor-made coats.
  Although Susan tried to rebel against the traditional moral values of a housewife, she could not find it within herself to take off her fashionable dresses, which symbolized conventional social order.