COVE

During the Victorian Era, the dominant religion was Anglican. The influence of religion can be seen in the gender expectations of the Victorians as well many literary works and paintings from this time. For example, Suzie Steinbach writing for Britannica states "Women were also thought to be naturally more religious and morally finer than men (who were distracted by sexual passions by which women supposedly were untroubled)." Victorian beliefs that women were innately morally superior because they lack sexual desire furthered the strict behavioral expectations placed upon them. When Porphyria initiates sexual contact with the narrator, she defies the belief that women are exempt from desire because their faith is stronger. After Porphyria is murdered by her lover and he positions her body, he says "And thus we sit together now/And all night long we have not stirred/And yet God has not said a word!" Porphyria's lover does not have remorse because God, who sees all, has not said anything so the narrator interprets this as approval.

Steinbach, Susie. "Victorian-era". Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Mar. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/event/Victorian-era. Accessed 17 November 2021.