Daphne's arc of transformation in Bridgerton (Chris Van Dusen, 2020): from a pre-feminist princess to a post-feminist heroine

Abstract

Introduction. After centuries in which women were represented as objects of male desire, gender studies that began in the 60s and 70s with the Second Wave of the Feminist Movement sought changes in the audiovisual representation of the traditional female icon. This meant that the female characters began to gain prominence and became subjects of the action, but always accompanied and protected by a male character. Objectives. In the 90s, the Third Wave of the Feminist Movement began and with it they sought to take a step forward in female representation. The present research focuses on determining how the femininity of Daphne, the female protagonist of Bridgerton, has been constructed (Chris Van Dusen, 2020). Despite the fact that Bridgerton takes place in the 19th century and the novel in which it is inspired was released in 2000, the product analyzed is part of the Post-Feminist Era. Methodology. A qualitative analysis of the narrative archetype, external object, internal goal and the transformation arc of the character under study is carried out to define how the female character has been constructed in this fiction and how it participates in the plot. Results and Conclusions. These narrative elements are analyzed taking into account the feminine issues of the Post-Feminist Era we can find in Daphne’s development, such as romantic love, sex or motherhood.