Midterm Exam
Question 3. How does Defoe’s novel Roxana explain (or imagine or theorize) individual behavior? Does it imagine more than one possibility? Explain and illustrate in detail. Defoe constructs a story in which the character, Roxana, is able to show decisive reasoning as to why she is opposing the social norms, and demonstrates herself as an individual entirely her own, rather than an ordinary woman of the neoclassical time period. This definitive separation between the general practices that society upholds during this time, and Roxana’s views, are vital to how Defoe portrays Roxana as a freethinking individual, and illustrate the impact of post-lochian ideas on the social shift of the Restoration Period.
In this manner, Defoe
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Lady Mary Wortley Montagu’s writings share several insights and criticisms expressed by other texts we have read about the social inequality between men and women, and the beliefs and behaviors that perpetuate this inequality. Compare and contrast the discussions of gender from two additional texts with the discussions on gender found in LMWM’s writing. Beginning with the Epistle From Mrs. Yonge To Her Husband, Montagu uses her wit along with particular wording to highlight the prejudice that one woman faced in trial. Mrs. Yonge was tried for the same crime of adultery that her husband had committed, yet she was ridiculed for her actions and behavior while he left with the majority of her money. Montagu depicts that society expects women to remain obedient to their husbands, maintaining their honor, and “sigh in silence-- and be true” (2764) whether or not their husbands remain loyal to …show more content…
Up until this point in the story, Belinda was portrayed as the perfect woman. Be that as it may, the moment she gives into her passionate desires, her hair is cut as a trope of her virginity, and she becomes “ravished” (2698). The social inequalities faced within this story help to further illustrate how a woman is taught to guard her virtue above all, and to ignore and contain her desires, whereas men are driven by their lust and never ridiculed for
In the novel, Hurston utilizes the personal experiences with her family to create complex characters in the story. It centers on John Pearson, a man who lusts after many women. John’s desire for women at times appe...
It is a declaration for the equal rights of man and women. The political significance of Mary Wollstonecraft cannot be overstated—her work is regarded as one of the first greatest feminist treatises in history and is also seen as the first step towards liberal feminism. She fought equality for women in the political sphere, but she also addressed the need for equality in the social, private realm. She emphasized the need for reform in women’s status, education, and maternal duties. In A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Wollstonecraft argues that men and women are born with the same ability to reason. Therefore, men and woman should equally be able to exercise reason and attain knowledge. And conclusively, educated women would ultimately improve society; they would become better wives and mothers (72, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman). She argues that the current education system (i.e. Rousseau’s ideas of women education) restricts women and subjects them into passivity. Women are not perceivably “smart” as men because they have not been given the opportunity to be; women receive a “disorderly kind of education” (46, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman). Women are kept in passivity, forced to superficiality and shallowness. She derides these traits that are seen as inherent to a woman’s nature and asks the powerful question: how are women supposed to contribute to society if they have been reduced to their appearance and bodily function? For a thriving, modern and true civilization to succeed, each and every individual must be encouraged to seek moral and intellectual development, including
Wollstonecraft’s view of gender is that society is to blame for the inequality between men and women. The gender gap is largely due to the societal structure that has a bias towards masculinity. Wollstonecraft asserts that the inequality imposed on women is socially constructed to favor men over women. The society dictates the roles of men and women; however, these roles given men leverage over women. Men are given authority while women are subjected to be merely slaves. Wollstonecraft asserts that men are “treated like demi-gods” (656). The societal structure imposed unfair and unjust rules on women while giving men all the control. Men are given more privileges and more power than women. Society flawed system not only provides men with more
Jane’s unconditional bond to writing demonstrates the hardship and adversity many women had to face in the realism time period by portraying a character that is limited and restricted by a male figure.
From classical times, man had claimed the public space and attempted to confine women to the private. Men would attend public organizations such as town councils and representative institutions, while women would remain at home and do household duties. Women’s social status was often unseen or unrecognized. The male figure was the dominant face for the family to the public eye. This can be seen in Pride and Prejudice when Mrs. Bennet practically begged Mr. Bennet to call on Mr. Bingley’s arrival since she could not go on her own even though she really wanted too. It was considered a man’s duty to take action in the public while the woman would plan what should be done in the house. The reliance on men often puts women in a posi...
The optimization of a male’s authority in the 17th century has led to the subjectification of women. Thus, the occurrence of the second, and third wave of feminism has resulted in women to retaliating against social oppression. In Lady Mary Chudleigh’s To The Ladies, women are expected to inherit a domestic role where they adhere to a man’s word due to a misogynistic society’s expectations. The patriarchal ideology is reflected through the demeaning, and oppressive status allocated to women, an imbalance in power, and through the blatant disregard of a woman’s intellectual capability, and worth.
Eighteenth century writer and mother of female liberalism, Mary Wollstonecraft refutes this supposedly natural state of man being superior to woman in her treatise, "A Vindication of The Rights of Woman":
Although Jane Austen concentrates on developing the female characters, she also distinctly establishes their social disagreements. For example, Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s objection towards Elizabeth and Darcy’s rumored engagement demonstrates the upper and lower class division. Lady Catherine insults the Bennet family saying, “I am no stranger to the particulars of your youngest sister's infamous elopement. I know it all; that the young man's marrying her was a patched-up business, at the expense of your father and uncles.”(Austen Part 3 Chapter 14); this demonstrates the harsh influence high stature possess over the lower classes. Whether the situation favors the middle ranks, those who are superior continue their dominance through attacking dignity and manipulation. For instance, Mr. Collin’s rejected wedding offer causes a rude awakening and says, “My situation in life, my connections with the family of de Bourgh, and my relationship to your own, are circumstances highly in my favour; and you should take it into further consideration, that in spite of your manifold attractions, it is by ...
Marianne’s brand of free expression sometimes has little else to recommend it (Intro, I). What is true of Marianne’s classification system is true of her manners in general: In her refusal to place social decorum and propriety above her own impulses and desires, she is absolutely unbending (Intro, II). Marianne is also characterized as being very charming. For example, she believes her poetic effusions to be striking in themselves as well as accurate expressions of her inner life (Intro, VII).
As a woman Lady Mary Montagu is shown as someone who breaks free from the boundaries that society imposes on her. This exploration of womanhood within society is reflected broadly in her letters. Through this form someone who develops themselves and widens their views is seen. She is illustrated as a pretentious personality who gradually whilst experiencing various situations adheres to a change of attitude. Her bravery is evident in the way she describes her endeavours at sea. According to her first letters she claims to be “less frightened of the storm in the sea than the captain...” Being a woman as well as an aristocrat gave her great status and authority as she appears to assert. Her strong minded nature causes her to see fear not as something to react to but as an illness she does not have.
Women today are still viewed as naturally inferior to men, despite the considerable progress done to close this gap. Females have made a huge difference in their standing from 200 years ago. Whether anyone is sexist or not, females have made considerable progress from where they started, but there is still a long journey ahead. Mary Wollstonecraft was an advocate of women 's rights, a philosopher, and an English writer. One of Wollstonecraft’s best works was “A Vindication of the Rights of Women” (1792). In her writing, she talks about how both men and women should be treated equal, and reasoning could create a social order between the two. In chapter nine of this novel, called “Of the Pernicious Effects Which Arise from the Unnatural Distinctions Established in Society,”
“If all men are born free, how is it that all women are born slaves?” This quote was from one of Mary Astell’s pieces of literature and it was a question she wanted all women to ask themselves. Mary Astell is known as “the first English feminist” and I chose her as my topic for this paper, because I believe in a lot of her beliefs about how women should be treated equally to men and be allowed to pursue whatever they wish- whether that be a career or a degree. I though she’d be an interesting topic and her views on feminism have made an impact on they way women think today, which means that I think she should be included in the canon of major English writers.
The Duchess in John Webster’s tragic play, The Duchess of Malfi, and Beatrice Joanna in Thomas Middleton and William Rowley’s The Changeling, are both strong women living in a male-dominated society. The two women attempt to free themselves from this subordination by choosing to love that they desire. Both pay with their lives for this chance at freedom, but differ in their moral decisions about how they attempt it. Beatrice Joanna’s plan involves murder, whereas the widowed Duchess merely lives the life she chooses, then plots to leave Malfi. Both women are forced into their actions, but, whereas Beatrice Joanna is Machiavellian in her actions, the Duchess is morally superior.
A common theme often portrayed in literature is the individual vs. society. In the beginning of Robinson Crusoe , the narrator deals with, not society, but his family's views on how he was bound to fail in life if his parents' expectations of him taking the family business were not met. However, Defoe's novel was somewhat autobiographical. "What Defoe wrote was intimately connected with the sort of life he led, with the friends and enemies he made, and with the interests of natural to a merchant and a Dissenter" (Sutherland 2). These similarities are seen throughout the novel. "My father...gave me serious and excellent counsel against what he foresaw was my design," says Crusoe (Defoe 8-9) . Like Crusoe, Defoe also rebelled against his parents. Unlike Crusoe, however, Defoe printed many essays and papers that rebelled against the government and society, just as Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World, did in England by depicting society languishing in social malaise (Marowski 231). It were these writings that eventually got Defoe charged with libel and imprisoned (DIScovering Authors). In Defoe's life it was the ministry that his father wanted him to pursue (Sutherland 2), but, instead, Defoe chose to become a tradesman (DIScovering Biography). The depth of the relationship between Crusoe and his parents in the book was specifically not elaborated upon because his parent's become symbolic not only of all parents, but of society. In keeping this ambiguous relationship, Defoe is able to make Crusoe's abrupt exodus much more believable and, thus, more humane.
Daniel Defoe has frequently been considered the father of realism in regards to his novel, Robinson Crusoe. In the preface of the novel, the events are described as being “just history of fact” (Defoe and Richetti ). This sets the tone for the story to be presented as factual, while it is in of itself truly fiction. This is the first time that a narrative fictional novel has been written in a way that the story is represented as the truth. Realistic elements and precise details are presented unprecedented; the events that unfold in the novel resonate with readers of the middle-class in such a way that it seems as if the stories could be written about themselves. Defoe did not write his novel for the learned, he wrote it for the large public of tradesmen, apprentices and shopkeepers (Häusermann 439-456).