Female delicacy during the eighteenth century was a value held above all else, and in Frances Burney’s Evelina, the fight for the main character’s, Evelina, fragility in a time of prevalent misogynistic violence molds the relationships and decisions made in her life. Burney tells the story of Evelina, a young and naive girl and her journey with rose colored glasses through the pressures of keeping her reputation in London society without compromising her virtue. The novel is told through letters written by Evelina and her own narration. In the letter XXIII Evelina describes something the Captain said during while at the Opera.
“…the Captain, quite displeased, said, “What signifies asking them girls? Do you think they know their own minds
Lord Merton, a rude aristocrat whom tries to seduce Evelina believes that women have nothing more to offer but their beauty and good nature. He says “in everything else she is either or unnatural. For my part, deuce take me if ever I wish to hear a word of sense from a woman as long as I live!" (361). Although less extreme these opinions can be found throughout the novel which obviously have an effect on Evelina as she grows up. When Evelina moves to London she realizes quickly that in a society where women are expected to be docile and accommodating, men are quick to take advantage. Mr. Villars, Evelina’s guardian, tells her “Remember, my dear Evelina, nothing is so delicate as the reputation of a woman: it is, at once, the most beautiful and the most brittle of all human things.” With this sage advice and after a few bad experiences with “fops” Evelina becomes warier of men’s
Villars. Burney’s choice of writing style gives the readers of Evelina a distinct understanding between one’s perspective and reality and the use of letters gives the reader a different understanding of the choices Evelina makes from her point of view. As a key component of her style, Burney reveals personality through her use of language. Her characters of the highest societal ranking (e.g. Lord Orville, Lady Louisa) speak with a formal tone, as opposed to the lower end, more vulgar characters (e.g. Captain Mirvan, Madame Duval), who speak without class or care of if their words are hurtful. Throughout the scene when referring to a male of high or low class, The Captain always spoke formally, using proper pronouns like “them” or “their.” In the passage above you can see that the Captain did not find women worth correct grammar. When speaking about women and their rightful place he would use slang like “ ‘em.” This further showcases the essence of what it meant to be a female during this time in
Eliza's assaults against True Womanhood are violations of the virtues submissiveness and purity. When Eliza refuses to ignore the gallantry of Major Sanford in favor of the proposals of Reverend Boyer despite the warnings of her friends and mother, she disregards submissiveness in favor of her own fanc...
William Faulkner and Charlotte Gilman are two well known writers for intriguing novels of the 1800’s. Their two eccentric pieces, "A Rose for Emily" and "The Yellow Wallpaper" are equally alluring. These authors and their works have been well recognized, but also critized. The criticism focuses on the society that is portrayed in these novels. The modern readers of today’s society are resentful to this dramatic society. These two novels are full of tradition, rebellion and the oppression over women’s rights. Both of these novels share the misery of the culture, but there is some distinction between the two. "A Rose for Emily" is a social commentary while "The Yellow Wallpaper" is an informative novel about the writer herself. The authors outlook focus on the gloomy structure in society during that time frame and therefore, create down hearted, reckless characters that offer stimulation for women of all generations.
In addition, author Atwood also creates the once educated and free-spirited women, who eventually end up with pathetic destinies as working ladies at the secret night club, Jezebel’s. When Commander Waterford is introducing the working ladies at Jezebel’s, who were once educated women like sociologists and lawyers, he says, “Well, we have quite a collection…I’m told you can have quite a good conversation with her if all you feel like is talking. They prefer it here, too” (238). Author Margaret reveals that the women who could not bear living as handmaids choose to become working ladies, trading their bodies and their knowledge to the powerful Commanders for survival.
Throughout history, women’s place and role in society has changed. Women are often seen as a lower status and have a need to be taken care of by men. There are conflicts with the idealization of women as they are often overlooked and viewed as secondary characters. This idealization is well established in the characters of Desdemona in Othello and Daisy in The Great Gatsby. In F.Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby and Shakespeare‘s play Othello, Desdemona and Daisy are both responsible for their tragedies due to the manipulation and impact of the outsiders, their loss of innocence, and their vulnerability as women.
In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet’s journey to love and marriage is the focal point of the narrative. But, the lesser known source of richness in Austen’s writing comes from her complex themes the well-developed minor characters. A closer examination of Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth’s dear friend in Pride and Prejudice, shows that while she did not take up a large amount of space in the narrative, her impact was great. Charlotte’s unfortunate circumstances in the marriage market make her a foil to Elizabeth, who has the power of choice and refusal when it comes to deciding who will be her husband. By focusing on Charlotte’s age and lack of beauty, Austen emphasizes how ridiculous and cruel marriage can be in this time.
The rise of women in power has caused many men to feel a growing sense of insecurity in their manhood. For example, In Raisin In the Sun, Walter Lee felt lesser of a man, primarily, because of Lena Younger’s position as head of the family. The fact that he, the sole man of the family, as Travis is considered more of a boy, is constantly thwarted from making any executive decision by a woman can be directly associated with his foulness, but, once Lena Younger entrust him with the insurance money, Walter becomes friendly and very pleasant to be with. Similarly, in Mariama Ba’s So Long a Letter, Ramatoulaye is considered “Lioness” after rejecting all of her pretenders. The surname evokes fear which subtly hints of the insecurity that the men have toward women who have the power to deny them, yet it is also distinctly different from Hansberry, considering that, even through their insecurity, the men still fancy these powerful women, possibly to satisfy their ego in “taming” the beast and owning as trophy. Both aspects emphasize how men are poorly able to deal with this sudden change in
Margaret is an intelligent, articulate, and ambitious woman who desires to rise up in social status by marrying a man of higher social rank. She attends to those above her, in hopes of elevating her status as she becomes closer to the upper-class. As a minor character, she plays a small yet crucial role in advancing Don John’s plot to slander Hero and spoil her wedding. As a lower-class character, Margaret serves as a foil to the rich girls, particularly Hero, who embodies every attitude and mindset Margaret does not. But she also offers an alternative perspective on the upper-class characters in the play. Because Margaret is victimized because of her social ambitions, punished for wanting to rise above her ...
In the past, literature for women strove to reinforce the culturally approved ideas of femininity. Tremendous volumes of literature were written to reinforce appropriate female behaviour. By the mid-eighteenth century, the ideological division of women into two classes, the virtuous and the fallen, was well developed (Armstrong, 18). Literature often portrayed both of these women, with the virtuous triumphing at the end and the fallen receiving her appropriate punishment. Chopin followe...
Agress, Lynne. The Feminine Irony: Women on Women in Early-Nineteenth-Century English Literature. London: Associated UP, 1978.
Women in The Count of Monte Cristo possess unique personalities, but intensely similar restrictions. Currently, women in the United States, as well as other countries, are able to have jobs, travel, and participate in many other activities that the ladies Dumas portrays are not allowed to. Feminist analysis of this book reveals the ways of the time and the delicate balance of society’s typical structure. In The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas realistically conveys that when women violate their traditional roles, the balance of life is disrupted. This is evident through descriptions of instances in which females are in the home as well as when they are not.
Evaluate and respond to the presentations of women in the Romantic period. Feel free to discuss presentations of women, by women (such as Austen’s Persuasion) as well as presentations of women by men (such as the “she” in Byron’s “She Walks in Beauty”). Consider the following questions: are these presentations problematic? What do they tell us about the values and briefs of the Romantic Period? Do any of these presentations subvert (complicate, or call into questions) the time’s notions of femininity?
We have difficulties as a modern audience appreciating the social anxieties reflected in Pamela, especially those surrounding morality and valuation of individuals within the social framework. The radical stance of even using phrases such as virtue and 'fortune' to denote Pamela's virginity are themselves loaded with a questioning of the social stratification in which she resides. The term 'Fortune' is perhaps the most playful but problematic. In it the issue of the commodification of Pamela's virginity is implicated, while at the same time gaining its authority within the framework of the novel through a Protestant ethic of internal individual worth apart from social stratification. Complicating this issue of commodification is the range of Marxist or Weberian readings of the novel that place it within a conflict between the working and aristocratic classes. Pamela is explicitly placing value in her 'protestant ethic' rather than her social standing, it being "more pride to [her] that [she] come of such honest parents, than if [she] had been born a lady" (Pamela 48) and in the same letter looking disparagingly on her fellow 'servants.'
It is the aim of this piece to consider how two elements are developed in the opening chapters of three classic novels written by 19th century English women: Emma, Wuthering Heights, and Jane Eyre, respectively. The elements to be considered are a) character; and b) character relationships. Consideration will be given to see how each opening chapter develops these two aspects, and the various approaches will be compared and contrasted as well.
Victorian women lived according to strict social conventions, which dictated their actions, emotions, and beliefs. These conventions were often presented in antithetical pairs: private versus public spheres, the angel in the house versus the fallen woman. One of the most complex paradoxes for women to master was that of beauty versus vanity. Society’s rules required a young lady to be attractive, but not provocative; diligent about her appearance, but not overly so; aware of her beauty, and simultaneously unconscious of it. Balancing these meticulous distinctions, then, became an almost unattainable feat, but a crucial one, as success or failure directly translated into a woman’s moral status. In Adam Bede, George Eliot contrasts the idealized preacher Dinah with the fallible dairymaid Hetty by illustrating two very different examples of feminine beauty. Eliot directly addresses the complicated understanding of “moral” Victorian beauty through her physical presentation of these women and their actions throughout the story.
It is arguable that reputation can mean everything to humanity. A reputation can determine quite a bit in life, such as being hired for a job. Reputation can mean even more to woman, as they are judged on a different scale than men. How a woman acts and is perceived is an important part of how they are treated by others, particularly men. As seen throughout history and the media, a woman needs to work hard to hone and perfect a reputation, and even harder to keep it. In Evelina, or The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World, the heroine Evelina must navigate the pitfalls of 18th century London high society while maintaining an upstanding reputation. Similar to the majority of history until the 19th century, women were expected to