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Synopsis The role of women both in public and private life has always been a controversial issue. Woman has been seen from different angles in different ages, and treated accordingly. History bears evidence of women participating actively in politics, making or breaking nations. Yet, the role of woman in the socio-economic structure of the society has remained marginalized over the decades. It is only very recently that this specific issue has been taken up in earnest in the wake of serious considerations culminating in the examination of the prevalent position of women in society. This book attempts to examine the role of women in Victorian England in the perspective of the dominant ideology regarding woman at that time vis-?-vis the reality of their condition in society, both in public and private life. The argument endeavours to trace the position of women in Victorian society, taking into consideration their ideological and social status, in contrast to the actual conditions prevailing in that society. An attempt has been made to examine the reformative laws which were passed in the parliament for the improvement of their conditions and the reflection of this entire canvas in the literature of the time. Special reference has been made to the works of five selected Victorian novelists in order to show the changing concept of women in late Victorian novels.