Constructing Self
First, let me say that it took me awhile to get into this text. I found the narrative complicated and confusing. Maybe I have been reading too much lately but this relatively short piece took me several attempts before I found a comfortable reading rhythm. Whenever I read a book I try to create a pattern of some sort in my mind that fits the narrative; I call this my reading rhythm. Each book tends to speak to me in its own unique voice and I can usually pick up the rhythm in the first page; this was not the case with Delarivier Manley’s,
The Adventures of Rivella.
In the introduction when Sir Charles Lovemore and the Chevalier d'Aumont are speaking it is hard to tell when one stops and the other begins. I know writing conventions of the 18th century differ from modern conventions but I really miss the use of quotation marks in this text. This is not the first piece of writing I have read without quotation marks but for some reason this novella seemed more of a struggle for me. Now that I have that out of my system I can post my reflections on the reading.
I feel this novella is an attempt by Manley to demonstrate to her reader the difficulty of being a female author. In order for a woman to preserve any cultural clout, she must exist either as female or as an author, for if she attempts to become the female author, she, like Rivella, will be reprimanded by society, thereafter doomed to exist only as a cultural construction. A female author must deal with cultural and gender limitations when it comes to their work. It is socially acceptable for women to create religious writings, poems for family or friends, and write letters but when they are producing, political journalism, scandal writing and amatory fiction to be published, their character is called into question. Women were to stay in the feminine private sphere and stay out of the masculine public sphere. When Sir Charles Lovemore and the Chevalier d'Aumont are discussing Rivella they observe "what is not a crime in men is scandalous and unpardonable in woman." That old double standard again.
Manley, keenly aware of this double standard, chooses to write a veiled autobiography allowing her the freedom to openly discuss both private and public issues. Writing in this manner allows Manley to be more "honest" about her feelings and not fear any repercussions. There is one problem; the literal detachment of the female body from the female mind, which is evident through the two male perceptions of Rivella. While Rivella exists as a disembodied fantasy she is a successful female author to Chevalier D’Aumont but to Sir Charles Lovemore, who is acquainted with both Rivella’s character and physical body, her role as author is not fitting since she crosses the gender boundaries. Manley uses these two conflicting ideals of Rivella's character and presents to the reader her own struggles to make it in a man's world.
A partially true story . . .
For all the curious people in class today, I think this is the movie that Jessie saw a trailer for. It looks like it is going to be a visually appealing movie with a few good laughs thrown in.
If you check out the
trailer you will see many of the literary conventions we have discussed: masquerades, a venice setting, pamphlets, religion, virtues, women in disguise, arranged marriages, and class.
The release date for the film is Christmas and I think I will check it out then. Every now and then you have to treat yourself to a little light entertainment folks.
Movie tagline: A partially true story about lies told, virtue lost and love found.
Hidden Agenda
Bathsua Makin's
An Essay to Revive the Antient Education of Gentlewomen was a treat to read. I found the format refreshing and the voice she chose to write in quite amusing. When she counters each objection with numerous answers I felt I was reading a court room transcript and she was a defense attorney mopping the floor with the crown procecutor.
Makin displays her own education when she grounds her essay in writing by other women. Citing classical and contemporary women who are educated, she discusses why their education has served them and their community well. She even gives a nod to Anne Askew and Queen Elizabeth.
Once she grounds her arguments and responds to any objections, Makin goes on to explaining techniques that can be used to educate girls much more quickly than boys and even shares her thoughts on an ideal curriculum. When all is said and done Makin reveals her real motive for writing this essay; n the last page, she tells the reader that if she has convinced you to educate your daughter, you can send her to Makin's school for girls.
I thought her marketing idea was brilliant and Makin would have made a bundle working for some huge advertising giant if she were alive today. It's all in the packaging.
Exercise Freewill
"
I do not wish them to have power over men; but over themselves."
Wollstonecraft's Vindication challenges the "divine rights" of husbands, a false system of education and a double standard when it comes to chastity and fidelity. What it all boils down to is allowing a woman to use her own freewill, Wollstonecraft is not trying to present an argument against marriage or men; she is presenting an alternative to the societal restrainsts placed on women.
Education seems to be the foundation for Wollstonecraft's argument. If women are afforded the opportunity to become more educated their relationship with their husband and family will improve. Wollstonecraft argues a woman needs educated even if they are mothers because how "Can they be expected to govern a family with judgment, or take care of the poor babes whom they bring into the world?" without an education.
Although Wollstonecraft advocates education for women, it seems she draws class distinctions on who should be educated: "women in the common walks of life are called to be wives and mothers, I lament that women of a superior cast have no way to pursue usefulness and independence." Being a woman of "superior cast" herself, Wollstonecraft is showing her ideals are not as forward thinking as one would hope.
Shadows of Wollstonecraft's unhappy childhood creep into her essay and afford the reader a brief glimpse into her feelings towards her parents. One cannot help but read the disappointment felt by Wollstonecraft in the following line: "Parental affection is often but a pretext to tyrannize." How unfortuneate to have such bitter feelings and resentment. Wollstonecraft points out "it is unreasoned parental authority that first injures the mind," but one could argue that the same authoritive atmosphere made her strong enough to speak her mind when so few women had that opportunity.
The Old Ball and Chain
In Mary Astell's
Some Reflections on Marriage, she asserts few marriages are happy as they are primarily made for monetary reasons and are reduced to a commodity as opposed to a "love match." Women's lack of choice in marriage especially irritates Astell. Men who flatter them with praise while seeking their favor make them foolish. Women who can't find a husband are thought incompetent and no man can imagine himself not worthy of being any woman's suitor. Women who sacrifice themselves to submission to a man are heroic in their self-control and in their service to God and mankind. Astell has strong opinions on marriage and seems to be advocating for women to have more freedom of choice and expression but there are times in the text where Astell seems to be sending mixed messages.
Astell instructs women to accede to their husbands' wishes, but not with that "Blind Obedience" which "a Rational Creature shou'd never Pay." The message here is unclear, should a woman obey her husband's wishes? If one does obey her husband, is this an indication she is an irrational creature? Maybe we should look at Astell's assertions that a wife must allow her husband to "govern absolutely" and act only to "Please and Obey" him as sarcasm. That would explain why she calls men "the Superior Sex."
Mary Astell's essay may have sections which are ambiguous but it is still a powerful piece of writing that challenges the societal constructs of marriage. I found it sad that Astell was resigned to fact that she knew her chances of making any changes were slim. She knows men will do and take what they want but they cannot "Rob her of, the Exercise and Improvement of her Vertue here, and the Reward of it hereafter." It is a pity that a woman has to wait for death to receive her just rewards.
Road Trip
The Rover is currently part of the
Ghost Light Theatricals 2005-2006 season in Seattle Washington. On their website it states they "seek to produce ensemble-based work that is accessible yet challenging to both our artists and audiences. The plays [they] choose tell universal and important stories; they are produced with art and wonder." I think they have made an excellent choice in
The Rover as it fits perfectly into their mission:
Ghost Light Theatricals' mission is to make theatrical theatre by creating bold and imaginative worlds, to tell timeless stories that resonate with a modern audience.
Check out a recent review of the play by Richard Morin of the Seattle Weekly where he describes Behn as being "A brash and penniless spy, jailbird, potty mouth, "punk and poetesse," - I think Behn would be amused by those descriptions.
Now if we could only talk the university into sending the class on a road trip to seattle.
Two Great Playwrights
The photos on this post are from the 2004 production of
The Rover from the
University of Michigan where the brilliant playwright,
Arthur Miller, got his start. Miller and Behn, now that would make an interesting combination.
Photo source:
http://www.arts.umich.edu/programs/artsadventure/archives/f04/aa4.html
University Offering
Found this great pic from the Willamette University 1992-93 production of
The Rover. The set is fabulous and from what I can see of the costumes, they look great. I wonder what Behn would think of all the attention her works are getting today?
Ironing out Behn
While looking for pics for my post on
The Rover I discovered one of my favorite actors,
Jeremy Irons, starred in an adaptation of Behn's play. I found it interesting that the poster clearing depicts the rover as the male lead while Behn's play is more ambiguous as to whether the rover is male or female, then again the rover could be both.
Thought I would share the pics I found of the versatile Mr.Irons
performing in the play. Enjoy.
Encore! Encore!
Infidelity, elopement, seduction, sword play, people "masking" their identities all set in a carnival atmosphere, what more could you ask for in a play? You get all this plus so much more in The Rover.
Alphra Behn sets her play in Naples, Italy, a more exotic location than London, to allow her the freedom to explore the brutality of rape and the art of seduction. Even though this play is considered a comedy it takes on the serious issues of females dealing with the inherent problems of a male-dominated society. Throughout the play the reader can see Behn's objections to the vulnerability of women in this type of society.
Behn cleverly uses masks to allow her characters the freedom to cross social boundaries and take on different roles. Hellena and Florinda
want to explore the carnival and experiment with sensuality, something that would be impossible for them to do if they were not in disguise as unmarried young ladies were not permitted to visit the carnival. By being masked, the characters are given more freedom and do not have to worry about suffering the consequences of their actions.
The conventions used in this play; masked identities, desire, crossing social boundaries, and using comedy to make social comments, are similar to ones used by Shakespeare's in his comedies. It is easy to see why it was believed The Rover was written by a man when it was published anonymously in the first edition.
I found this play, like the other works I have read by Behn, to be well written and enjoyable to read. I must admit I have not read many plays other than Shakespeare but I have seen quite a few plays and I think this one would be very visually appealing and entertaining. Maybe someone out there would like to take on that challenge . . . please
More Melodrama
In
The Unfortunate Happy Lady,
Aphra Behn gives us yet another melodrama sprinkled with humor and characters with interesting names. I have made
two posts on Aphra Behn in my other class and I think she is an interesting lady. She has a distinct style that is enjoyable to read and full of hidden gems. Behn has a great way of describing her characters and I found the descriptors used for the madam of
Beldam: "old Factoress of Hell," "Devil's chief Agent,"smock'd-fac'd Wag," and "Mother of Mischief."
I enjoyed how the
Happy Lady got her revenge at the end but I thought it strange that she would offer her brother a lady friend and some money to make him happy: "This Lady, this beautiful virutous Lady, with Twenty thousand Pounds, will make you happy." Did anyone else think this was close to what her brother did to her? I know at this time marriages were often arranged and money or property would be exchanged but I was a little disappointed that Behn fell into that convention. This one thing aside, I enjoyed this story and I'm looking forward to reading
The Rover to see what other gems Aphra Behn has to offer.
Pulling My Heart Strings
Katherine Philips refined work stands in sharp contrast to Aphra Behn's work, which at the time, critics considered coarse and erotic. Many of the critics seem to forget that Aphra Behn is much more than a
smutty writer and one of our readings this week will attest to that. While most believed Behn was writing about sexual encounters, Philips was writing poems of praise for her friends and epitaphs.
In a
blog for another class, I admitted I was envious of the close bond Philips had with her female friends. Philips was a member of the "Society of Friendship," a social network of women whose members took classical pseudonyms and wrote poems to document their relationships.
These poems praising her friends did fascinate me but the one that touched my heart was, Epitahph: On Hector Philips. At St. Sith's Church. I could relate to this poem as a mother as I too went "seven years childless," before becoming pregnant and losing the baby. Thankfully, I did have a healthy baby girl the following year but I will never forget my loss. I feel Philips, and many other poets at the time, were writing epitaphs for children as a way to remember and honor the child.
Mad Madge
I must confess, my face was a little sore from grinning so much after finishing the readings by Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle. Her quick wit and zingers were quite amusing.
Samuel Pepys called her ""mad, conceited and ridiculous" and I can see why he would make that statement. Pepys, a writer of personal journals, may consider Cavendish's Utopian fantasy described in
The Blazing World a product of a mad woman. She suggests there are many worlds and some are even run by women and surely, only a mad woman would think this possible in Pepys' eyes. Since Cavendish publishes her work under her own name, something unprecedented for a Duchess, some may consider this a conceited act that challenges the ideas of propriety. Pepys, and I'm sure many other readers, did not agree with the fanciful ideas presented by Cavendish in her writing and would find it ridiculous. That being said, I can understand Pepys' reason for saying what he did but I do not agree with him.
When I read
The Blazing World, I couldn't help thinking about
Sir Thomas More's Utopia. In both of the purported "Utopian" worlds, the imperfect religious traditions, rigid governing systems, and philosophical beliefs taint what are otherwise model worlds for all other nations to imitate. Margaret Cavendish and Sir Thomas More, in their differing styles, are able to convey that no world is perfect, but there is room for change, for everyone can fabricate their own imaginary worlds and travelogues. As a matter of fact, there are many people making a living in an
imaginary world where a mouse is king.
I think Cavendish was flambouyant, witty, interesting, and slightly ahead of her time. Margaret Cavendish was a poet, philosopher, essayist, playwright, and self publisher (being the Duchess of Newcastle made this easier I can imagine). She may have been frustrated with the political and social structures of her day and used her writing to vent these frustrations. If Cavendish were indeed "mad," would she have bothered to inform her readers that this was a work of fiction?
Very Thankful
At this time of year when Canadians are giving thanks for all their blessings, I just wanted to thank the great folks in class for their thoughtful feedback and comments on my posts. Hope you and your loved ones are enjoying your Thanksgiving.
Ungendered Virtue
Just the other day, for my 18th Century class, I posted a question on my blog wondering whether being chaste was a gendered virtue and then, low and behold, in this week's readings Lady Mary Wroth has responded to my query.
In
from Pamphilia to Amphilanthus Wroth takes the sonnet tradition and turns it around so the narrator is a woman speaking to a man. Even though the role of narrator is switched, Wroth chooses to have the woman be inactive and helpless, the victim of another's behaviour, the same position a woman holds in a traditional sonnet. I then remembered my question about gendered virtues. Wroth was not interested in exploring or challenging gender roles, she was only interested in writing a sonnet that reflects the anguish all humanity feels over unrequited love. When Wroth does not focus on the physical attributes or roles of the people in her sonnet as she is much more concerned with the emotional inner turmoil of the participants. As readers, we can identify with the speaker whether we are a male or a female.
Getting back to my question, Lady Mary Wroth has shown me there is inner turmoil that is not always articulated in the works we read. Oft times writers are focused more on the roles people play and their appearance rather than the helplessness of human beings in the grip of passion, whether they be male or female. There may be men out there that see male chaste as a virtue but because of societal restraints they do not articulate these feelings. By underplaying gender, Lady Mary Wroth has the freedom to explore so much more in her sonnet.
First, let me say that it took me awhile to get into this text. I found the narrative complicated and confusing. Maybe I have been reading too much lately but this relatively short piece took me several attempts before I found a comfortable reading rhythm. Whenever I read a book I try to create a pattern of some sort in my mind that fits the narrative; I call this my reading rhythm. Each book tends to speak to me in its own unique voice and I can usually pick up the rhythm in the first page; this was not the case with Delarivier Manley’s, The Adventures of Rivella.
