Gender Crisis in Albert Nobbs

Abstract

The focus of this thesis is the phenomenon of cross-dressing through the story of Albert Nobbs that is set in the late-Victorian period, in Ireland. The socio-cultural frame of the narrative is the religious 19th century Ireland and the thematic focus is on the lives of the working class. The analysis embraces two literary works and a cinematic adaptation: "Albert Nobbs" in A Story-Tellers' Holiday (1927), a short story by George Moore based on real-life incidents, The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs (1977) a drama by Simone Benmussa, and Rodrigo García's Albert Nobbs. Firstly, the cross-dressing as such is analysed, particularly the origin of it and its brief historical and socio-cultural outline. Since this phenomenon is widely used among women, the first representatives are also examined and their reasons for turning to such means. Subsequently, the three versions of the same story are also analysed. The aforementioned versions try to give possible interpretations for choosing cross-dressing as a mode of living and the secondary adaptation also tries to offer a solution for this phenomenon.