“And called for mercy towards the fallen...”: the theme of women fall in the English novels of the 18-19th centuries

A moral aspect of the classical British novel has always been of great significance in literary studies. The English writers of the 18 th and 19 th centuries appealed to common ethical norms and protested against the moral “double standard” which had been generally taken for granted; there were different laws for different classes and one law for men, and the other for women. In the article the novels “The History of Tom Jones, a foundling” by Henry Fielding, “Sense and Sensibility” by Jane Austen, “David Copperfield” by Charles Dickens and “Ruth” by Elisabeth Gaskell are considered in their relation to the theme of unsuccessful destiny of the woman. The relationship between moral principles and social attitudes has been investigated in the English novels of the 18-19th centuries so far. The author of the article regards the interpretation change of the theme of women's social exclusion and the evolution of the novel structure in Victorian literature. Special attention is paid to the novel “Ruth” by E. Gaskell, in which the writer presented the possibility of spiritual revival of a “fallen woman”. The article emphasizes the innovative focus of the plot of the novel on the fate of the heroine rejected by society. E. Gaskell's views on Christian values as the basis of personal moral behavior and on the problem of the Christian multi-confessional situation in the early Victorian England are also considered as important in the article. The author of the article compares, on the one hand, Jane Austen's views with the ones of the Victorian writers, and on the other hand, with the evolving feminist views in the English society of the 19 th century. The author infers that there are similarities and differences between artistic and social-political discourses as far as the interpretations of women's rights are concerned.