The Not So Domestic Goddess

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.

posted by Lucy @ 4:32 PM