After a few lines of the first reading, “Copy of a Letter from Miss – to Mr. __”, I knew I was in for a ride on the do this and do not do that train. The preservation of a woman’s reputation was of utmost importance. In this woman’s case, it was her ability to live her life without judgment in the eyes of others, especially “human opinions”. I have a suspicion the human opinions in this case are those of a man. Whatever her “fatal indiscretion” was, she knew she did not have long to live because of it.
The theme of women and their susceptibility to falling is carried throughout the periodicals. The writer produces an instructional tone. He writes that “you have an opportunity to display the excellence of your character and to exert your talents most successfully in benefiting society” (An Address to the Ladies”. Furthermore, women are encouraged to be neither a coquette nor a prude. They are to find the perfect balance and to excuse the behavior of men when they flirt. Women are also warned that a “strong attachment to books in a lady, often deters a man from approaching her with the offer of his heart”. Women are also exhorted “to be lovely” and “for political purposes, to consider man as the superior in authority”.
Basically a woman’s education can extend as far as it does not offend a man. So, truly many of these writings are for men and “the pride of our sex”. Looking at these writings from that point of view indicates that they are really written for the promotion of what a man wants and has little to do with instructing a young woman to learn the socially acceptable rules that allow her to grow and mature as a person. As long as these young women stayed within the boundaries articulated by men, they would be safe and would be able to preserve their delicacy of mind. So, it is really about the men!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I liked your post. I was like you, I was quite offended by the belittling tone that many of these articles had. It seems ironic that the women were expected to be pillars of virtue and susceptible to sin at the same time. Kind of a lot to expect out of someone, isn't it?
I absolutely agree that these texts are all about the men. It is disappointing that the motive behind the advice is not to help women live fulfilled lives, but to help them fulfill the desires of the men in their lives.
I like that you mentioned women's susceptibility to falling. I had hoped that we would see that message change somewhat after leaving the infanticide narratives behind (as they were riddled with messages about female weakness). I think it's ironic that women are still viewed as delicate, fragile vessels prone to breaking, but then the men continue to set such high expectations for them! At several places in these texts, I felt frustrated over the contradictions or ironies--I wonder if the eighteenth-century woman felt a bit confused, as well.
Post a Comment