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ENG 598: Gender and Literature

What is a woman? A question long asked by gender theorists and philosophers for years, to this day in fact. The common presumption to this ever long question would be biology. The different reproductive part signifies a binary distinction, nevertheless, it’s more convoluted. Gender is behavioral, culture, and psychological traits that typically go with being female, male, or all those in between. Essentially, we decide what it means. If we were to specifically look at the women, what makes one? We would say femininity. Wearing dresses, performing ourselves with a softness and delicate nature, and overall to be a “lady”. Fundamentally, women are predisposed to be the opposite of men. Simone de Beauvoir makes this claim in her book, The Second Sex, where she states that women are considered relative to men. If men were the “One”, then women were considered the “Other”. I hope to expand upon this as I believe it leaves out a crucial detail, race. Race is a part of culture that goes with creating a gender. Not all women are the same, just as Black women and White women are not the same as they differ in cultural values. If we were to expand upon Beauvioir, I would argue that if women were the “Other” in relation to men, then Black women are considered the “Other” in relation to White Women. The intersection of race and gender is prevalent to understanding the gender itself. In looking at Black women, they had to adopt their own form of femininity in signifying their place in society especially during the abolitionist and suffrage movement.

Simone de Beauvoir, a French feminist theorist and philosopher, changed the social understanding of how we viewed gender when she published The Second Sex in 1949. Beginning an exploration of the subjugations of femininity as it is a social construct made by the patriarchy. “What is a woman?”According to Beauvoir, a question so complex it sparked much discussion. Off the top of our head we would say biology, but Beauvior argued that historically male reigns superior. “He is the Subject, he is the Absolute – she is the Other” (Beauvoir pg. 16), while the woman is subjected and seen as relative to the man purely out of opposition. Gender aside, this applies to race as well. Historically, White has reigned superior while anything other is considered as such, “Other”. Focusing on the subjugation of women, Black women were seen as lower in the hierarchy falling below Black men. Judith Butler, a gender theorist and philosopher known for her book Gender Trouble, argues that gender is performative. “Gender as an enactment that performatively constitutes the appearance of its own interior fixity” (Butler pg. 89), that we reproduce gender by doing, not only by repeated ways of speaking. This translates to how we dress, how we perform our body language, and how we present ourselves. In correlation to race, Black women had to “perform” similar to White women. As White women were seen as the standard, anything other was deemed unacceptable and unfeminine. Black people were all seen the same: masculine, less than human, and slaves. Women and children fell into this dichotomy as being perceived by their skin color first. As they were not considered women, socially, purely based on race, they were the “Other” of the “Other”.

In an essay “Abolition & Suffrage” by Nancy A. Hewitt, she describes the struggles and effects the Seneca Falls Convention had on Black women. “Virtually all women’s rights advocates supported abolition. Not all abolitionists supported women’s rights”(Hewitt), a shocking sentiment that remained as conservatives felt a woman speaking in a public forum was inappropriate. A group of women, known as the Garrisonian women for their following of William Lloyd Garrison, who emphasizes more than just all rights for women. They advocated for the sexual abuse of slave women in efforts to eradicate slavery as a whole, a clear disctinction between the cultural and social norms of the gendered races. Black women were looking into the larger picture, a picture that involved a step in racial equality, before advocating for the rights of family, religion, and the control over her own body. Black women did not have those rights, not even for a long while, as those were the primary conditions White women were advocating for. Even though the suffrage movement at Seneca Falls was mixed race, division ensued when the Republican politicians “introduced the 14th and 15th amendments to the U.S. Constitution extending citizenship and suffrage to former slave men”(Hewitt) as a race for the stage was at hand. Universal suffrage was the ideal goal by abolitionists as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony consistently advocated for the rights of all women’s right to vote. Although they faced opposition from strong abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass who believed that the extension of citizenship to former slave men was too large an issue to pass up. This left an issue for Sojourner Truth, as she originally was part of the suffrage movement alongside Stanton and Anthony, but had to choose whether she was for the liberation of slaves or the liberation of women. Both groups had failed to see the disparities Black women faced with their own issues not being called to attention or see for what they are. Where race is crucial to our identity, to say all women’s issues were the same was excluding the issues of Black women.

In a suffrage movement, generally focused towards the rights of White women, Black women opposed the harmful rhetoric and advocated for their issues that were not being met.There was a fight for rights for women and Black men, but where was the fight for Black women? Black women operated in a small gray area where they were allowed to work in efforts to bring forth their issues. Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, a powerful abolitionist writer who advocated alongside Maria W. Stewart, published a series of articles and poems about the intersectionality of abolition and women’s suffrage. Harper is known for her speech We Are All Bound Up Together at the National Woman’s Rights Convention in 1866. It was there she advocated for “the dual burden faced by Black women in America—racism and sexism” (Carlisle). “We are all bound up together in one great bundle of humanity, and society cannot trample on the weakest and feeblest of its members without receiving a curse in its own soul” (Harper), as in damaging one group it trickles to the next. Where “White women speak here of rights…”, the issues personal to the struggles faced by White women, “…I speak of wrongs.” (Harper) of the issues singular to the experiences of Black women.

Infamously, Sojourner Truth made a speech about the disparities Black women faced and argued for their equality. Truth was a renowned abolitionist and women’s rights activist during the 1850s where she made her speech that gained her such recognition. Ain’t I a Woman?, a speech made in 1851 at the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio where she questioned her place in her gender and race. Truth emphasized the idea that being a woman goes beyond race and social status and pleaded for recognition of equality on all forms. Conveying the rhetorical question to the audience, “Ain’t I a Woman?”, having the audience truly grasp the hypocrisy. Truth explains that if their definition of a woman is to make babies, then is not one? “ I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain’t I a woman?” (Truth). Her speech was impactful as it vocally raised awareness of an issue that was passed over for years. Black women being treated as men, working in the fields, with the expectation of bearing children. Only for those children to be taken away, issues White women were not advocating for in their movement. In the Declaration of Sentiments written by Staton, they mention “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal” (Stanton). A phrase spoken time and time again for the liberation of women. That in the Constitution, created by White men, we should hold the same rights as then based on the laws they appoint for themselves.This leaves out a crucial element, Black people. Black people were not considered citizens, in fact only one-third. This being that the Declaration of Sentiments were passed and taken in effect, Black women would still not reap the benefits as they were seen as Black before a woman. Black women, having to work in the gray area, were realizing that if their issues were not going to be fixed by others were going to adapt to what they have. Thus, creating their own form of Black femininity.

Femininity has been shaped by western ideals, the gender performance of White women, but shifted in the mid-20th century. This was referred to as “hegemonic femininity” as it, “assumes the superiority of White over African American women, valuing those who adhere to White feminine norms by awarding privileges and benefits while devaluing other femininities that fall short of meeting the hegemonic (i.e., White) standard” (Davis, et. al, pg. 822). The question being, how did Black women separate from the mold to assert their own form of femininity? Their hair. Hair is a symbol of identity for Black culture rooted in creative expression and freedom. A representation of history that carries deep and profound symbolism. Black women have adopted hairstyles that garnered a similar likeness to White women when they succumbed to hegemonic femininity. Straightening their natural curly hair to be seen as a woman, but actually to be seen as a White woman. Before women were flat ironing their hair everyday, chemical relaxers were used to burn their hair to “fit in”. This practice was used especially for children as schools saw it as a violation and against school policy. ”It has been wielded as a tool of oppression and also one of empowerment—and our society’s perceptions of Black hair still affects how Black people are treated today” (Wilson). As Truth expressed, Black women could not find a place among women and were often placed with men. Black women were seen as unfeminine based on their assertiveness, textured hair, and their dark features. Black women began adopting their own femininity, one still evoked to this day.

The intersection between gender and race are crucial for understanding the complexities of how culture shaped our identity. To say all women are the same, or that there is only one idea of women, is a ludacris assumption. The idea of women from five years ago will be vastly different from the idea five years from now. Kimberle Crenshaw, political writer who adopted the term intersectionality towards Black women’s rights, set a shift for the pursuit of justice of Black women’s long history of being overlooked. “We must begin to tell Black women’s stories because, without them, we cannot tell the story of Black men, White men, White women, or anyone else in this country.” (Hutson pg. 1). To be feminine according to western ideals was to be soft and delicate, something Black women have not been considered. Black women created their own form of femininity form a small gray space in between the two large sectors they are thought not accepted by. Black women have been resilient for years and adopted a long tradition of creating a space where they can be themselves. Not just a woman, not just a Black person, but as a Black woman.

Bibliography

Beauvoir, Simone De. The Second Sex. Translated by H. M. Parshley, Johnathan Cape, 1949.

Butler, Judith. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. Routledge, 1999.

Carlisle, Lois. “Black Women’s Fight for Suffrage.” Atlanta History Center, 6 May 2022, http://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/blog/Black-womens-fight-for-suffrage/.

Davis, Ashlee W., et al. “Traditional femininity versus strong Black women ideologies and stress among Black women.” Journal of Black Studies, vol. 49, no. 8, 5 Sept. 2018, pp. 820–841, https://doi.org/10.1177/0021934718799016.

Harper, Frances Ellen Watkins. “We Are All Bound up Together – May 1866.” Archives of Women’s Political Communication, 1 May 1866, awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/2017/03/21/we-are-all-bound-up-together-may-1866/.

Hewitt, Nancy A. “Abolition and Suffrage.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/not-for-ourselves-alone/abolition-suffrage. Accessed 21 Sept. 2024.

Hutson, Turea Michelle. “By any means necessary: A brief educational history of Black Women and girls in the United States.” Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis, vol. 11, no. 3, 25 May 2022, https://doi.org/10.31274/jctp.12960.

Stanton, Elizabeth Cady. “The Declaration of Sentiments, Seneca Falls Conference, 1848.” Internet History Sourcebooks: Modern History, 1848, sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/senecafalls.asp.

Truth, Sojourner. “Sojourner Truth: ‘Ain’t I a Woman?’, December 1851.” Internet History Sourcebooks: Modern History, Dec. 1851, sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/sojtruth-woman.asp.

HON 172: The Human Event

Out with the old and in with the new has been a phrase coined to represent the transition we all make. This can be said about the ideology of freedom. Before we are in a state of oblivion, then according to the authors we have read, it is not until we reach a point of enlightenment that we see the reality of the situation and work towards freedom. Achieving this level of free will has been argued time and time again. Whether we are going along this new journey alone or sharing our ideas, we are striving to reach the utopic idea of what freedom actually means. The technical definition of freedom is, “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint”. Even though there is a definition to the term, does not necessarily mean that it’s a one-size-fits-all. I believe that we can simplify the definition even more by condensing it down to three categories: starting off with “freedom from,” freedom of the chains from society. “Freedom to,” being able to do whatever you want whenever you want. Then “freedom to be,” the chance to become whoever you want to be. The idea of freedom in each of the pieces served as a utopic endpoint to the journey we all must go through. The authors argue about which means is the ‘correct’ way to reach freedom, they share similar ideas of releasing yourself and evolving into a better you. Whether the author’s intentions are to encourage personal transformation or influence a change in society as a whole, they believe that reaching this state of independence will inevitably lead to a better society.

When reading a chapter from Walden, “Where I Lived and What I Lived For”, we are introduced to Henry David Thoreau. He recounts a time in his life when he had made the decision to leave everything behind and live in the woods for a couple of years. In making the bold choice to leave his family’s wealth and material possessions he was able to separate himself from society. Granted he made this decision in 1845, which is a far different time than 2022, Thoreau sought out to reach his own level of personal freedom. Using his ideas from the reading, Thoreau had to power to change what he could control. He combined two of the categories to define freedom: Freedom from societal constraints and freedom to follow his desire for solitude while practicing transcendentalism. “As long as possible live free and uncommitted. It makes but little difference whether you are committed to a farm or the county jail” (Thoreau, 1971, p. 84), shows that Thoreau encourages others to reach a sense of enlightenment such as he. I will admit, out of all of the reading from the class Thoreau’s piece was a real eye-opener. Personally, I have dreamt of the idea of someday, somehow, I would live near the woods and release myself from my mindless possession. I have knocked this down to unrealistic rambles due to the fact that my generation, and each generation to come, has been heavily influenced by modern technology and material possessions. I admire Thoreau’s willingness to abandon everything all to experience a sense of freedom. “We are wont to imagine rare and delectable place in some remote and more celestial corner of the system, behind the constellation of Cassiopeia’s Chair, far from noise and disturbance. I discovered that my house actually had its site in such a withdrawn, but forever new and unprofaned, part of the universe” (Thoreau, 1971, p. 88), signals to the reader that everything we seek is right in front of us. The quote itself talks about his house but holds a deeper meaning about society. We are programmed to think that our goals are farther than they actually seem to causes most to lose that idea. Thoreau enlightens his audience that our dreams are more attainable than we think, but to take a leap of faith and its closer than we think. For instance, I dropped my aspiration of someday leaving my possessions behind to live near the woods because I grew up to be reliant on my material goods. My takeaway from the reading is that reaching a state of freedom, such as Thoreau, is not as far as we think. Maybe dropping everything at once is a tad dramatic, but losing material goods over time will loosen the chains of societal norms. “Be it life or death, we crave only reality” (Thoreau, 1971, p. 98).

Contrasting the ideas from Thoreau, Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s excerpt from The Brothers Karamazov “The Grand Inquisitor” takes a different approach to the idea of freedom from Walden. The story continues with Christ coming back during the Inquisitor and is arrested. As the Inquisitor is interrogating Christ, he claims that although he has good intentions, he believed Christ misinterpreted human nature. Dostoyevsky tells the story of two brothers Ivan and his younger brother Alyosha as they have a conversation about the problem of evil. As the brothers discuss Christian theology, they question why evil exists if God is all-knowing and powerful. They further add to the conundrum by asking if there is a possibility that God could not have prevented evil, then is he all-powerful? “And you have no right to add anything to what was said by you in former times. Why have you come to get in our way? For you have come to get in our way, and you yourself know it” (Dostoyevsky, 1993, p. 3), the tone that the Inquisitor is hostile towards Christ. He blames Christ for giving humans free will as he believes that it’s the cause of all of our evil. Dostoyevsky creates a compelling piece in which he uses imagery to tell the story for itself. From when Christ first appears, he is given no description, yet the reactions of the people in the city provide enough context to allow the audience to follow along. The Inquisitor shows his control by arresting Christ himself and not allowing him to speak. Since the Inquisitor does not believe in free will, he does not even allow Christ the freedom to walk around the city, let alone speak. Already we are shown just how much control he has that he is controlling the narrative. “There are three powers, only three powers on the earth that are capable of eternally vanquishing and ensnaring the consciences of those feeble mutineers, for their happiness—those powers are miracle, mystery, and authority. You rejected the first, the second, and the third, and yourself gave the lead in doing so” (Dostoevsky, 1993, p. 7), the Inquisitor’s power over the people’s freedom stems from the church. The church provides evidence of a miracle performed, they explain the mystery, and the people trust the authority of the church to lead them on the right path. If we are given the answer to the problem, wouldn’t it undermine our ability to solve it to begin with? By having the church, under the rule of the Inquisitor, answer all of life’s questions, they strip you of your free will and belief. I understand the Inquisotrs justification for his control over the people’s free will, but I completely disagree. We have to be able to make decisions for ourselves and enact free will, in order to learn and grow from them. The Inquisitor wants to make sure that people do not drive themselves down a rabbit hole with their unfortunate choices, he wants to guide them on the right path yet his guidance is forcing everyone down one set path.

Comparing both the ideas presented in Thoreau and Dostoyevsky, they share the similar ideology of the importance of free will. The Freedom to do what we want, freedom to be who we want, and the freedom from the chains of society. Dostoyevsky challenged the idea of free will in terms of theology. “In that you were right. For the secret of human existence does not consist in living, merely, but in what one lives for. Without a firm idea of what he is to live for, man will not consent to live and will sooner destroy himself than remain on the earth, even though all around him there be loaves” (Dostoyevsky, 1993, p. 6), As the Inquisitor aimed to control others path and decision, yet he failed to understand the significance of freedom. We are in charge of our own free will, if we go down the wrong path, then so be it. If we make the unfortunate decision, then it is our decision to learn from. If there is no freedom to choose, how will we learn to make the right choice? I see Thoreau as a great example of enacting free will. He wanted to leave everything and move to the woods, and so he did. It was his choice to make, no one else. In doing so he was able to reach a level of freedom that he soon later hopes to encourage others to do so. Unlike the efforts of the Inquisitor, Thoreau is not forcing his idea of freedom on others, yet encourages others to seek the answer in unlikely places.

WORK CITED
Thoreau, H. D. (1971). Walden. (J. L. Shanley, Ed.). Princeton University Press.

Dostoyevsky, F. (1993). The Brothers Karamazov. (D. McDuff, Trans.). New York: Penguin Books.

HON 172: The Human Event

Revolutions are shown throughout history that lead to a change in society. When using the technical term, a revolution is a radical change in the established order, usually the established government and social institutions. Those who lead these revolutions see flaws in the institutionalized system that need to be changed in order to benefit society seeing as the established order prior was ruled ineffective. Many believe that this uprising will lead to enlightenment, which was defined as an intellectual movement emphasizing reason and individualism. One of the motivations for this is lead by their responsibility to society. How are the consequences of our actions affecting the outcome of the world we live in? From a majority of the readings, we learn that their common end goal was defined based on how their contributions will affect society. Either the effects of their creations, ethical actions, or even trying to better society by changing the previous system in place. The use of imagination brings hope of endless possibilities of change in social movements. The hope is to find a way to change society for the better even in the smallest amount.

A present theme that was shown in the readings was individualism vs societal change; showing an effective method to enact change. The idea of changing society as a whole or changing what you can control will lead to an effective revolution. I believe that we as a society are tying to solve the answer of how can we lead a happy and successful society, which we see that it is practically impossible. As much as we would love to live our life as carefree as we would like, there would always be an authority figure on which we rely only. The idea to change society on such a grand scale with the supposed one solution that would solve our problems is impractical and unrealistic. Focusing on individual change that will benefit society is more effective than trying to start off with the societal change. You can only control what you have control over, not others actions or emotions.

The use of Imagination leads to hope, the hope of a better society after the revolution. From reading the Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels shared their ideas on how to benefit society. They summarized the state in which we are living by calling their lower class the proletariat and the higher class the bourgeoisie. “The modern bourgeoise society that has sprouted from the ruins of feudal society has not done with class antagonism. It has established new classes, new conditions of oppression, new forms of struggle in place of the old ones” (Marx & Engles, 2012, p. 35). He believed that we should not confine ourselves to these categories and as a society, we all should branch out before it’s too late. When analyzing the text he positioned himself into the idea of creating a singular class of people would inevitably end the problem of long-lasting class struggles and continuous revolutions between the bourgeois and proletariat classes, which ultimately never lead to true reform. In my initial reading of the Communist Manifesto, I had mixed feelings about the topics in which Marx and Engels proposed. They argued that in order to change the society that we have to change it as a whole under the same conditions. They had imagined a world in which everyone was under the same class, gaining the same amount, and with that logic, there would be no class division or struggles. “Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, into two great social classes facing each other: bourgeoisie and proletariats” (Marx & Engles, 2012, pg.35). In theory, this sounds like a way to reduce human conflicts that stem from indifference but seems impractical. Even those individuals who believe they are on in agreeance of the idea of being in the same social class will still hold some jealousy or superiority of themselves to in a different class. We are subjected to look at the indifference between someone, whether it be their class, race, gender, or even age. Over the years it has become part of “societal norms” to pick apart the little details that make us different from one another, others more vocal than the rest.

I believe that Marx’s vision of creating an equal society is unrealistic. One of the examples they use is the effect of money on society. The bourgeoisie has more money and power than the proletariat thus causing conflict in those social classes. He is arguing that capitalism would inevitably self-destruct, to be replaced by socialism and ultimately communism. There is no denying that money makes the world go round, and it is what drives our society. It is both a motivator and a stressor. He imagines social change stemming from the removal of a capitalist society. In his thought, he sees everyone as a tool in a machine working for the operators, the bourgeoisie, where we are driven by money. Marx does not believe that money will buy you any happiness but will lead to our demise. I contradict this idea in thinking that money does buy happiness and leads to the benefit of society. By no means and I as rich as they come but I believe that those who live comfortably, without the stress of finances, will lead happier lives. “Each step in the development of the bourgeois was accompanied by a corresponding political advance of that class” (Marx & Engles, 2012, pg. 37). For instance, individuals who are considered part of the bourgeoisie class are less stressed about money since they would have enough to buy splurge while buying expensive products compared to those of the proletariat class who are worried about bills about to be due. I disagree with Marx’s ideas, mainly because he concludes that solving our class division is from money and believes the solution is simple, get rid of classes. It is not as simple as he puts it. Marx is thinking of a solution that will help the world, rather than thinking smaller and focusing on individual change that would help society. One can not change the mind of the whole world, it simply can not be done. Everyone has a mind of their own and is out of our control. Money is one of the pressing issues in our government today, but it does have its benefits. It is a driving force that led to the development of our society thus far with our competitive nature.

Imagination plays a vital role in the development of enlightenment as it inspires many new ideas that lead to the hope of social movements. Contrasting to the ideas I had about the Communist Manifesto, the reading I agreed with was “What is Enlightenment” by Immanuel Kant. In this, he writes his ideas answering a question he was asked prior. To summarize, he says that enlightenment is moving away from immaturity. I share the same ideas with Kant in that I believe that once one can move past immaturity and change perspective then you will see enlightenment. To define immaturity is the state of not being fully grown commonly in reference to children. Children are fed, clothed, cleaned up after, told what to do and what to say from a young age. “Thus, it is difficult for any individual man to work himself out of the immaturity that has all but become his nature” (Kant, 1784, p.41). If we are constantly being told where to go, what to say, what to wear, what to think, then how are we supposed to form ideas for ourselves. We accept what we are given without a thought for ourselves. In the realm of immaturity, individuals are dependent on those giving them guidance. “If I have a book to serve as my understanding, a pastor to serve as my conscience, a physician to determine my diet for me, and so on, I need not exert myself at all” (Kant 1784, pg. 41). If we accept everything that we are given, then how are we supposed to challenge ourselves later on. Not to question anything, but just to accept the predicament we are in. How are we supposed to develop and grow if we are not able to challenge ourselves? Contradicting the ideas of Marx, where he believe what is best for people is to fit into a certain class, I agree with the ideas of Kant. With all these rules, restrictions in place, we’re are scared to dare branch out and experience anything for ourselves.

How can you change the world if you have yet to fully experience it? Once we reach a level of maturity and understanding of the world around us are we fully equipped to lead a revolution and enact change. It is with this new maturity we use our imagination and understanding of what we have experienced to lead a propose a new order. It is the hope to see our past to find a suitable future for ourselves. We can not dictate other’s life without understanding our own. I believe that once we are able to reach of level of maturity and understanding of ourselves then we will be able to inspire that hope in others. Without the guidance, they will be able to challenge themselves and seek their own enlightenment. That would be an effective societal change, by having hope that others not accepting what is given but searching more a new answer.

WORK CITED
Marx, K., Hobsbawm, E. J., & Engels, F. (2012). Bourgeois and Proletarians. In The Communist

Manifesto: A modern edition (pp. 35–37). essay, Verso.
Kant, I. (1784). An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment?.

ENG 328: The Novel to Jane Austen

Criminal biographies were seen as a low-level form of literature. Commonly written over collective pieces of literature of writing during that time, the London underbelly was seen as a promiscuous unsuitable area. A prominent location in London during the 18th century was Newgate Prison as it held people awaiting trial, debtors, and people awaiting execution. The prison had unsuitable conditions and overcrowding, even leaving a fee for basic amenities. This disparity around the criminal underworld arose a new form of literature to appease the general masses, the criminal biography.

The criminal biography genre arose in 18th-century London as a reflection of urban disparity. Illustrating the drunken debauchery of London, novels under the genre mirrored characters of previous harlots, thieves, and petty criminals. Authors of criminal biographies were typically anonymous or used pseudonyms and written in English prose. Criminal biography are written towards, and by, the lower class collectively. Alexander Smith’s Moll Cutpurse, A Pick-Pocket and Highwaywoman, is an example of the criminal biography genre. The novel written, possibly under a psydeom, illustrated the London Underbelly of Cutpurse’s journey and transformation. Even her name is not her own as, “Mary Frith, otherwise call’d Moll Cutpurse, from her ORingal Profession of cutting Purses” (Smith p. 320), she changed her appearance and adopted the moniker of “Roaring Girl”.

Characters in the genre often experience a lack of control in their lives as authors attempt to adapt fate into their writing. As if these characters are destined for misfortune, the criminal biography gives reason to their misdoings as a means to an end. Thus, leading the characters to be rendered lower than most in comparison to notable heroic characters. For instance, Cutpurse “went Dress’d in Man’s Apparel; which puts me in Mind how Hercules, Nero, and Sardanapalus are laugh’d at and exploded for their Effeninacy and degraded Dissolutness in this extravagant Debauchery” (Smith p.322) is compared to epic heroes for their outward appearance. Only to be described as a monster of men as “she was not made for the Pleasure or Delight of Man” (Smith p.322) but assumes the notion she was destined for the life of crime due to her stance in society. Her appearance, her economic status, and her surroundings place her in a destined position of debauchery.

The novel by William Godwin, Caleb Willaims, is classified under the criminal biography genre through the relationship between Caleb Williams and Mr. Falkland. Caleb Willaims is a poor man met with an ill fate of unfortunate circumstances bestowed upon him. Caleb can not control his life as Falkland is holding the reigns on him. Throughout the course of the investigation conducted by Caleb, he is led through the guided path Falkland leads him through. “My life has for several years been a theatre of calamity. I have been a mark for the vigilance of tyranny and I could not escape” (Godwin p. 5). Similar to Moll Cutpurse being compared to epic heroes, Godwin chose the name Caleb for the main character as a biblical allusion to Caleb. Coinciding with the genre of relating the characters to high, in this case, Holy, characters to show how low our subject is in comparison. “In the Bible Caleb was one of the men Moses sent to ‘spy out the land of Canaan’,…, but also ‘faithful’ to his master” (Godwin p. xxxiii). The life of, and overall narrative of, Caleb is an episodic narrative similar to that of a criminal biography. He matched the typical characters of the genre by presenting fairly ordinary people of the lower class. Caleb is a literary assistant to Falkland with nothing to his name, compared to Falkland who holds over a dominion of power and land. The narrative is episodic as it shows the unfortunate twists and turns of Caleb tumbling through life. “I have not deserved this treatment. My own concise witness in behalf of that innocence” (Godwin p.5), as Caleb pleads his innocence for his ill fate to come. Falling into a life of crime and later imprisonment, due to the misdoings of Falkland.

Rather than Caleb himself being the criminal, the narrative follows his path to uncovering the true crime of Mr. Tyrrel. This directly opposed the previous notion of the criminal biography genre as the subject of criminal behavior is cast upon Mr. Falkland. Although, due to Falkland’s power over the judicial system he escapes the law at multiple points. “Young man, take warning!… Why do you trifle with me? You little suspect the extent of my power” (Godwin p. 150). Mirroring the way an author of the criminal biography deems overall control of the character, Falkland is the author of Caleb Willaims’s ending. “This is the empire that man exercises over man” (Godwin p.188) illustrating the power Falkland poses over Caleb’s life and overall narrative. Dictating his choices, his investigation, and inevitably his doomed outcome.

In a typical narrative in the criminal biography genre, the main character is typically the one enacting the crime in the story. In the case of Caleb Williams, he is the one trying to uncover the murder of Mr. Tyrrel. He pleads his case towards the arrest of Mr. Falkland but his investigations only landed him in jail. Caleb’s character contrasts the general form as he is trying to do good but ends up in shackles. “I consulted my own heart, that whispered nothing but innocence,…, This is the object, the distribution of justice, which is the end of human reason” (Godwin p.189). His main motivation is justice while Cutpurse is survival and self-gain.

The criminal biography immersed many readers in the realities of the lower class as they are constantly met with misdoings. Caleb Williams follows the format of introducing a character who is met with misfortune but reintroduces the narrative by deconstructing who remains in control. Typically the author seizes control of the characters’ lives, especially that of a criminal biography, as the main characters are led by fate. They are destined for their situation, whether that be good or bad, they have no control. In this case, Falkland is the one in control of Caleb Williams’s narrative due to his immense power over the system. In the biblical allusion Godwin presents, if Caleb mirrors one of Moses’ disciples, Falkland mirrors God as he is untouchable and remains in control.

Works Cited

Foe, Daniel De. Moll Flanders: An Authoritative Text, Contexts, Criticism. Edited by Albert J. Rivero, W. W. Norton, 2003.

Foe, D. D., & Smith, A. (2003). Moll Cutpurse, a Pick-Pocket and Highwaywoman. In Moll flanders: An authoritative text, contexts, criticism (p. 321). essay, W W NORTON.

Godwin, W., & Hindle, M. (2005). Things as they are, or the adventures of Caleb Williams. Penguin.

ENG 328: The Novel to Jane Austen

The travel narrative genre dominated literature in the 17th century as it was viewed as an educational resource. The English Empire had transitioned into the scientific revolution in hopes

of improving natural knowledge. Society had values naturalists, philosophers, and scientists going against their previous ideals of faith. This new way of reforming society had changed the literature they had once valued. Thus the rise of travel narrative as they were seen as educational on new lands expanding the knowledge of high-status educated men. Alphra Behn makes her mark as a female writer expanding the genre while adding her own female pen to describe the life of Oroonoko.

Travel narratives, such as Hans Sloane’s A Voyage, set the framework for Aphra Behns Oroonoko as they follow the observational penmanship for readers. Typically written in prose, the authors conduct immense immersive research of their chosen location for a detailed report in their narrative. Travel narratives at the time took place in a location outside of their home, in most cases England. A key detail that quantifies a travel narrative is the author’s observations of the location. The accounts are inscribed with a level of detail for the reader to imagine the land for themselves. For instance, Sloane had traveled to, “Jamaica, the Town of Port Royal,” as it was, “towards Liguance runs a narrow Neck of landy ground about three Miles long” (Sloane p. 6). Written to feel like a long summary, the asymmetrical power of the narrator determines what is to be retained. This was a time when travel narratives were highly respected and read by educated men and women of Europe to self-improvement of their knowledge. As typical authors of travel narratives are naturalists or explorers, they write with a neutral eye. “Many of the Negros, being Slaves, and their Pofterity after them in Guinea, they are most easily treated by the English here, than by their own Country-People” (Sloane p. 5) illustrates the objective viewpoint the author must carry. Whatever the writer’s personal or political views are on slavery, in this case, they must write from an observational standpoint in the name of research. This goes for religion, social practices, and trade.

As one can assume with writing with an observational neutral eye, authors of the travel narrative describe all aspects of the location in grave detail. Writing about the people they encounter, the plants, animals, and the religion of the region. The exotic land they discover is a marvel in the atmosphere as they transcribe the environmental features of the region as they differ from their homeland. “And of this [Coral], as the manner of growth, there is very great variety, the Chief mark of it being from its colour and folidity; the most remarkable varieties being in the underparts…” (Sloane p. 9). As the narration is essentially one long summary of their visit, the author’s involvement in the narrative is sparse. The author rarely inserts themselves into the narrative, unless for their point of view or travel. This does not minimize their importance, in fact only enhances it. Their involvement in the narrative itself serves as the facilitator, or body, in which the readers immerse themselves to view the world they traveled. Creating this distance between themselves and the subjects gives them control of what they narrate.

Behn illustrates the key qualities of a travel narrative through her observational notes of the life of Oroonoko. Following the format of traditional travel narratives, Behn recounts the setting in immense detail of Surinam in the West Indies of the port for the slave trade. “The Beads they weave into Aprons about a quarter of an Ell long, …, the Men wearing a long Stripe of Linen, which they deal with us for” (Behn p.9). She described the climate and practices she noticed of the Sumerians, especially their hierarchy. In the country of Coramantien, “a Country of Blacks so called, was one of those places in which they sound the most advantageous trading of these Slaves” (Behn p. 11), Behn describes the land at which the King rules who has as many wives as the amount of battles won. She maintained being a keen observer of the customs of the people accounting for their cultural practices of marriage, and being bestowed as one of the King’s wives. Illustrating this through the text when, “She [Imonida] told him, as she was Maid, …, but as by the Laws, he cou’d not; and for his Royal Goodness, wou’d not take from any Man his wedded Wife” (Behn p. 17), allowing for a better understanding of the King’s dominion of Coramantien further enlightening the readers of the region.

This set the stage for the world of the merchants trading textiles, while the Englishmen traded slaves and described them as mere products. Analyzing them objectively rather than showing humanity, thus showing the neutral eye Behn evokes to fit the travel narrative. From the context lectures, we learn that Behn favored the monarchy and was a royalist supporting sovereign power. Thus providing context to her neutrality of the slave trade as a means of maintaining order to authority. “Those then whom we make use of to work in our Plantations of Sugar, are Negro’s, Black-Slaves altogether; which are transported thither in this manner” (Behn p.11). Even as she expresses some sympathy towards the unfortunate treatments of Oroonoko and Imoinda later in the novel, she still retains her narrative power of neutrality towards slavery. “I entertained them with the Loves of the Romans, and great men, which charmed him to my Company…” (Behn 46) as she delayed their departure to stall for the Governor’s arrival.

Behn breaks out of the constraints of a travel narrative by merging both herself and a romance narrative into the plot. It is uncommon for authors of the travel narrative to insert themselves into the text, in order to maintain the neutrality of the observations. Behn contradicts this by opening up the narrative to, “I was my self an Eye-Witness to a great part, of what you will find here set down…” (Behn p. 8) introducing the reader to her involvement. As previously stated, the author of a travel narrative typically omits themself from the narrative to maintain objectivity of the topic. Behn contradicts this by including herself only to enhance the credibility and plot narrative. She maintains her observations of neutrality while describing the unfortunate circumstances that surround Oroonoko.

Behn transforms the narrative by adding a romance narrative of Imoinda and Oroonoko expanding the realm of possibilities of subject matter. Romance narratives are typically the foils to the travel narrative as they are mainly written by women, typically in verse rather than prose, and written for entertainment rather than educational purposes. Behn takes both qualities to create an immersive narrative that tackles both dramas while exploring a new land. The romance genre typically centers around characters about sovereigns, princes, and warriors, similar to the story of Oroonoko. “From that happy Day Caesar took Clemene for his Wife, to the general Joy of all People” (Behn p.40). Equiting the story with Behn’s female pen and writes the narrative of how she sees, the beautiful love tragedy as modestly as she sees fit. As a woman, she deems full authority over the romanctic tale while maintaining objectivity over the travel narrative.

In comparing Sloane to Behn’s work on creating a travel narrative, Behn focuses more on the doomed love story than the environment. She analyzes the people of the region as opposed to the plant life. Although she does not follow the traditional format for a travel narrative, Behn manages to analyze the region through the eyes of the customs and rituals of the people. Learning more about the life of Oroonoko and his battle for his love Imoninda, challenging the King, and their travels to the colonies created an immersive narrative. Both authors create enriching tales of the region examining different aspects of how to approach the genre.

1C) Criminal Biography from Moll Cutpurse to Caleb Williams
Criminal biographies were seen as a low-level form of literature. Commonly written over

collective pieces of literature of writing during that time, the London underbelly was seen as a promiscuous unsuitable area. A prominent location in London during the 18th century was Newgate Prison as it held people awaiting trial, debtors, and people awaiting execution. The prison had unsuitable conditions and overcrowding, even leaving a fee for basic amenities. This disparity around the criminal underworld arose a new form of literature to appease the general masses, the criminal biography.

The criminal biography genre arose in 18th-century London as a reflection of urban disparity. Illustrating the drunken debauchery of London, novels under the genre mirrored characters of previous harlots, thieves, and petty criminals. Authors of criminal biographies were typically anonymous or used pseudonyms and written in English prose. Criminal biography are written towards, and by, the lower class collectively. Alexander Smith’s Moll Cutpurse, A Pick-Pocket and Highwaywoman, is an example of the criminal biography genre. The novel written, possibly under a psydeom, illustrated the London Underbelly of Cutpurse’s journey and transformation. Even her name is not her own as, “Mary Frith, otherwise call’d Moll Cutpurse, from her ORingal Profession of cutting Purses” (Smith p. 320), she changed her appearance and adopted the moniker of “Roaring Girl”.

Characters in the genre often experience a lack of control in their lives as authors attempt to adapt fate into their writing. As if these characters are destined for misfortune, the criminal biography gives reason to their misdoings as a means to an end. Thus, leading the characters to be rendered lower than most in comparison to notable heroic characters. For instance, Cutpurse “went Dress’d in Man’s Apparel; which puts me in Mind how Hercules, Nero, and Sardanapalus are laugh’d at and exploded for their Effeninacy and degraded Dissolutness in this extravagant Debauchery” (Smith p.322) is compared to epic heroes for their outward appearance. Only to be described as a monster of men as “she was not made for the Pleasure or Delight of Man” (Smith p.322) but assumes the notion she was destined for the life of crime due to her stance in society. Her appearance, her economic status, and her surroundings place her in a destined position of debauchery.

The novel by William Godwin, Caleb Willaims, is classified under the criminal biography genre through the relationship between Caleb Williams and Mr. Falkland. Caleb Willaims is a poor man met with an ill fate of unfortunate circumstances bestowed upon him. Caleb can not control his life as Falkland is holding the reigns on him. Throughout the course of the investigation conducted by Caleb, he is led through the guided path Falkland leads him through. “My life has for several years been a theatre of calamity. I have been a mark for the vigilance of tyranny and I could not escape” (Godwin p. 5). Similar to Moll Cutpurse being compared to epic heroes, Godwin chose the name Caleb for the main character as a biblical allusion to Caleb. Coinciding with the genre of relating the characters to high, in this case, Holy, characters to show how low our subject is in comparison. “In the Bible Caleb was one of the men Moses sent to ‘spy out the land of Canaan’,…, but also ‘faithful’ to his master” (Godwin p. xxxiii). The life of, and overall narrative of, Caleb is an episodic narrative similar to that of a criminal biography. He matched the typical characters of the genre by presenting fairly ordinary people of the lower class. Caleb is a literary assistant to Falkland with nothing to his name, compared to Falkland who holds over a dominion of power and land. The narrative is episodic as it shows the unfortunate twists and turns of Caleb tumbling through life. “I have not deserved this treatment. My own concise witness in behalf of that innocence” (Godwin p.5), as Caleb pleads his innocence for his ill fate to come. Falling into a life of crime and later imprisonment, due to the misdoings of Falkland.

Rather than Caleb himself being the criminal, the narrative follows his path to uncovering the true crime of Mr. Tyrrel. This directly opposed the previous notion of the criminal biography genre as the subject of criminal behavior is cast upon Mr. Falkland. Although, due to Falkland’s power over the judicial system he escapes the law at multiple points. “Young man, take warning!… Why do you trifle with me? You little suspect the extent of my power” (Godwin p. 150). Mirroring the way an author of the criminal biography deems overall control of the character, Falkland is the author of Caleb Willaims’s ending. “This is the empire that man exercises over man” (Godwin p.188) illustrating the power Falkland poses over Caleb’s life and overall narrative. Dictating his choices, his investigation, and inevitably his doomed outcome.

In a typical narrative in the criminal biography genre, the main character is typically the one enacting the crime in the story. In the case of Caleb Williams, he is the one trying to uncover the murder of Mr. Tyrrel. He pleads his case towards the arrest of Mr. Falkland but his investigations only landed him in jail. Caleb’s character contrasts the general form as he is trying to do good but ends up in shackles. “I consulted my own heart, that whispered nothing but innocence,…, This is the object, the distribution of justice, which is the end of human reason” (Godwin p.189). His main motivation is justice while Cutpurse is survival and self-gain.

The criminal biography immersed many readers in the realities of the lower class as they are constantly met with misdoings. Caleb Williams follows the format of introducing a character who is met with misfortune but reintroduces the narrative by deconstructing who remains in control. Typically the author seizes control of the characters’ lives, especially that of a criminal biography, as the main characters are led by fate. They are destined for their situation, whether that be good or bad, they have no control. In this case, Falkland is the one in control of Caleb Williams’s narrative due to his immense power over the system. In the biblical allusion Godwin presents, if Caleb mirrors one of Moses’ disciples, Falkland mirrors God as he is untouchable and remains in control.

2A) What’s in an object? Analyzing Moll Flanders and Emma through Materialistic Ideals Throughout the novel of Moll Flanders, the unfortunate character is reminded of her

worth through the frequent occurrence of money. Moll relates the amount of money she has to her own worth. The more money she had, or wealthy her suitor, the higher she deems herself. It serves as a general motif as the amount both increases and decreases. The symbol of security is an object she holds onto during her travels and mirrors her ability to take care of herself. “Lifted me up, professing a great deal of Love for me; … and with that he put five Guineas into my Hand, and went away down Stairs” (Defoe p. 22) The amount of money is first present during her relationship with the older brother as he pays her for sex. $500 is what she is paid for her virtue, which is seen as a lot for her at the time. Through her marriages, affairs, and travels, her personal bank decreases to less than $200. Once she runs out of money, it is the birth of her life of crime as a petty thief where her bank increases to $700. Throughout the course, our perception of Moll changes based on how she spends and attains her money. It is then when she and James move to the plantation, that she is secure in her wealth. Moll is emotionally free to leave the life of crime behind as she is no longer counting her bank.

There is a correlation between the mention of linens and clothes to her relationship to her true self. It is mentioned in the prologue of Moll’s origin that her mother was arrested and sent to Newgate prison, “for a certain petty Thefit, scarce worth naming, Having an opportunity of borrowing three Pieces of find Holland” (Defoe p. 10). Holland, a fine piece of linen fabric, remains a reflection of the standards of women in society throughout the novel. The occurrence of fabrics serves as a reminder to Moll as a luxury she can not afford. One she tries to compensate for by finding a wealthy suitor to supply this need. She is taught at a young age needlework and sewing, a skill she uses to supply the nurse in exchange for service. The amount of linen a woman has also determines worth, as “fine clothes, gold watch, and a diamond ring or two had been all my fortune” (Dafoe p.68).

Moll retains a gold watch over her years of traveling. For a woman of Moll’s stature, a gold watch is seemingly uncommon and worth a lot. The wallet was a security for she knew she could sell it if needed, but relied heavily on her own money to stay afloat. Unfortunately, Moll is met with financial instability leaving her to a life of crime. When eating the Comrade, “helped me to, death in three sorts of Crafts, … taking off Gold Watches from the Ladies Sides” ( Dafoe p.159), the two are able to secure 120 gold watched between them only increasing her financial security at high risk. The gold watches give Moll the illusion of luxury, developing an arrogant attitude only to be brown down when attempting to steal one from a woman.

In society, a woman’s only way to succeed financially is to find a wealthy husband. That limits Moll as she either is left propelling for men or the life of crime. Moll valued material objects as a means to increase her status in society. The more items she possessed, the higher her value was. Ultimately, Moll’s obsession with materialistic items determining her value landed her in an untimely situation time and time again.

In in high society life of Highbury, lives Emma who interprets materialistic items differently one Moll Flanders. The carriages ridden in Highbury are typically by those in the higher class. The Woodhouses, The Knightleys, and Mr. Elton ride in carriages as opposed to the lower class. Carriages symbolize the desire and wealth of the upper class to enhance class boundaries. Mrs. Elton employs this “Without saying anything of our carriage, we should be able to explore the different beauties extremely well” (Aueten p.110) as she boasts about her wealthy carriage. Mr. Woodhouse always prefers to take the carriage contrasting Mr. Knightly who prefers to walk or ride horseback. “Mr. Knightley, to come out at this late hour to call upon us. I am afraid you must have had a shocking walk”, to he replied, “Not at all, It is a beautiful moonlight night” (Austen p. 4). This shows his character as he is comfortable in his position in society and does not need to flash his wealth.

In Emma’s naive matchmaking attempts to set up Mr. Elton and Harriett, she paints a likeness of Harriet to win Mr. Elton. The beautiful watercolor painting holds the virtuous reflection of Harriett that Emma has yet to realize. The painting only surfaced in two instances, the moment she painted it and when she later gave it to Mr. Martin as a token of her apology. The painting itself illustrates Emma’s desire to reshape Harriet to fit high society, going as far as to intentionally change her image. “As she meant to throw in a little improvement to the figure, to give a little more height, and considerably more elegance,…, the skill of the other, and the friendship of both” (Austen p. 21). Shaping Harriet’s destiny was Emma’s project throughout the novel that later blossomed into a friendship between the two.

In the unspoken rivalry between Emma and Jane Fairfax, the sender of the pianoforte is the deciding factor. During this period, women would often take the chance to show off their musical skills in the drawing room. “Soon as she entered the room had been struck by the sight of a pianoforte—a very elegant looking instrument—not a grand, but a large-sized square pianoforte” (Austen p. 87) similar to Emma’s perception of Jane Fairfax, recognizing her beauty but remained a symbol of her unspoken competition. A musical skill symbolized courtship and marriage, and one’s ability to perform one perfectly would result in talent and privilege. As Emma discovers that Frank Churchill has sent the pianoforte to Jane Fairfax, it changes her perception of class. Since Emma had saught Jane as less than her only to receive a gift worth more diminished her worth, “Jane Fairfax did look and move superior” (Austen p. 89)

One of the crucial aspects of the novel is the letters shared between the characters of Highbury. As most of the character’s appearance in the novel is limited, for Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill, the letters serve as a way to observe their character through the reactions of other characters. Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax are often perceived by other characters before their introduction, with their letters being their first appearance. For Emma, the letters from Frank Churchill are sacred as she praises them for his love for her. Mr. Knightly believes the letters to be a form of deception amongst women, especially Emma, and views him as “[Churchill] a person I never think of from one month’s end to another” (Austen p.62).

Austen portrayed objects in the narrative as a means of social status. This assured society place, especially for Emma who valued the security of her status. Emma was imamured with the marriage aspect of securing status attempting to match everyone up. Throughout the novel, the material items that were once held dear to Emma surely change as her perspective changes. The pianoforte was a reminder of her jealousy of Jane Fairfax only to celebrate her engagement to Frank Churchill. Emma had cherished the letters from Frank Churchill until meeting him and realizing his love for Jane. The carriages once held prestige in her eyes until the incident with Mr. Elton, where thereafter she walks similarly to Mr. Knightly. The progression of Emma’s character and values change with her relationships with those dear to her and lets down her guard to embrace her love of Mr. Knighlty.

Works Cited

Behn, A., & Lipking, J. (1997). The Royal Slave: The True History. In Oroonoko: An authoritative text, historical backgrounds, criticism (p. 13). essay, W. W. Norton & Company.

Sloane, H., Gucht, M. V. der, Savage, J., Carl, R. C. G., & Bonaparte, R. N. (1707). A voyage to the islands Madera, Barbados, Nieves, S. Christophers and Jamaica, with the natural history of the herbs and trees, four-footed beasts, fishes, birds, insects, reptiles, &c. of the last of those islands ; to which is prefix’d an introduction, wherein is an account of the inhabitants, air, Waters, diseases, trade, &c. of that place, with some relations concerning the neighbouring continent, and islands of america … by Hans Sloane … vol. I. -II …

ENG 328: The Novel to Jane Austen

Masculinity is presented on a range of levels throughout the texts of Oroonoko, Moll Flanders, and Pamela through the female perspective. Traditionally, masculinity is the display of attributes and behaviors that are common across men. Independence, leadership, courage, strength, and assertiveness are common traits associated with masculinity. Across the text, there is a pattern that masculinity was perceived as a noble resource and deemed valuable across the country. This is presented through the contrasting treatment of those of the female characters. Men who exhibited masculine traits of holding high status, bravery in war, and wealth were regarded as superior to femininity. As all three novels are narrated by women, two of which were primarily in subservient roles, the definitions of masculinity are deconstructed from our original notions of the term. The narrators manage to reverse the gender stereotypes of the main character as each perseveres through the societal molds to rewrite the definition of masculinity.

Pamela’s views on masculinity elicit a metamorphosis throughout the novel as she learns to take control of her own power. In the novel by Sam Richardson, Pamela recounts the tale of a young girl being sold to a subservient marriage to the older Mr. B. With the narrative being told through Pamela’s perception from her letters, we see her young mind attempting to make sense of the drastic changes placed upon her. One central theme throughout the novel is her willingness to maintain her virtue, at the expense of Mr. B’s requests. Pamela’s strong-willed nature shows when dismissing Mr. B as, “I will bear anything you can inflict upon me with Patience, even to the laying down of my Life, to shew my Obedience to you in other Cases; but I cannot be patient, I cannot be passive when my Virtue is at Stake!” (Richardson 138), upholding her resilience on the matter. This is the stepping stone to the gender stereotypes swapped between Mr. B and Pamela as Pamela resumes the dominant male in the relationship, leaving Mr. B as the submissive female.

From the unorthodox arrangement of their marriage, one would assume it is reversed as he is the older male and she is significantly younger. However, it is through their actions that the traditional gender tropes are rearranged. Pamela remains strong and virtuous against Mr. B’s persistent advances, as Mr. B is being presided over by Pamela. Mr. B shows traditional feminine traits of being overly emotional while throwing logic aside to win over Pamela. He constantly berates her with insults, ranting about her stubbornness, only for her to remain stern in her position. Contrasting the masculine traits of remaining level-headed and adamant about her stance, Pamela exhumed the male role in the relationship. As the novel contains themes of religion and morality, the two characters allude to Adam and Eve, maintaining the gender-swapped theme. With Mr. B, Eve, gives into temptation through curiosity, while corrupting Adam. Pamela mirrors Adam as their morality and virtuous nature were at the fault of Mr. B’s influence. Pamela once viewed masculinity as moral and just in comparison to her father. Once envisioned masculinity to maintain and uphold her virtuous nature, as society deemed it to be so, only to be met by Mr. B’s rebellious nature. It was through her relationship with Mr. B that she discovered a new form of masculinity, one which she feared. This toxic musicality Mr. B represented misrepresented her virtue, abused his authority, and disregarded any remaining idea of masculinity Pamela still held. It was up to her to create her own form of masculinity, rewrite it to suit herself, and take back her power.

Alpha Behn’s narrative, although the only novel with the most traditional sense of masculinity, presented a character with a balance of feminine and masculine traits. Behn described him with, a “spirit all rough and fierce, and that could not be tamed to lazy rest; … running, wrestling, pitching the bar, hunting, and fishing, chasing and killing tigers of monstrous size” (Behn 42). Prince Oroonoko was a warrior of his tribe, holding a high-ranking status, and was strong-willed in his morals. He was righteous and heroic in his fight against the King’s arrogant behavior. Oroonoko ideally exhibits all traditional masculine traits, yet breaks traditional gender stereotypes by Behn describing his feminine side. With the basis of the novel being a romance tale of Oroonoko and Imoinda, we see a softer side to the brave warrior we were originally introduced to. Behn used her female pen to write the side of Oroonoko, not seen by many, as the sentimental warrior with immense heartache over his love. “I have often heard him say that he admired by what strange inspirations he came to talk things so soft, and so passionate,…, until then unknown power instructed his heart and tongue in the language of love and at the same time in favor of him inspired Imoinda with a sense of his passion” (Behn 15). Behn manages to illustrate an overtly masculine character without concealing their immense passion and sentimental nature, contradicting traditional masculine traits.

Similar to the duality between Pamela and Mr. B, Oroonoko’s masculine-feminine traits outright contrast that of The King. The King, the grandfather to Oroonoko, kidnapped Imonedia and forced her into an arranged marriage. He abused her, raped her, and held her captive against Oroonoko’s demands. The King rules a highly patriarchal society where his word is the law. This power also evokes a toxic masculinity, similar to Mr. B, where they abuse their position of power going to great lengths to show their reach in status. The King lacks Oroonoko’s sense of honor and justice, which is why Behn contrasts the two characters. The two characters come from the same village, and both exhibit masculine traits, yet the two could not be more different. It is through Oroonoko’s masculine and feminine traits that we see the honorable leader he is to the tyrannical ruler of the King. Mascisulty, through Behn’s female pen, is defined by the actions of character rather than the gender.

In Moll Flanders, we are introduced to a capable young woman who is determined to find a wealthy husband. Flanders has been described as beautiful, resourceful, and confident in her sexuality. Similar to Pamela, Flanders is resilient to their unfortunate circumstances and manages to make due. Flanders’s origins begin with her mother giving birth to her while in prison, then sending her off to the colonies in hopes of a better life. It was this event that from then on in the narrative, she seeks a higher position for herself. At this time, women were only able to rise in society, economically or socially, either by marrying rich or being born into a wealthy family. She viewed potential masculine suitors as an addition, or an accessory, to boost her status. Mascunilinty was viewed as a reward, a prize to be earned. As men were deemed higher, she would try and marry higher. Unfortunately, this placed her in a submissive position to men.

Flanders was able to balance both feminine and masculine traits combatting gender stereotypes. The life of crime that Flanders led was primarily masculine, at that time, yet used her feminine traits to benefit her. Managing to excel in the criminal underbelly of London, “I told him I fared the worse for being taken in the prison for one Moll Flanders, who was a famous successful thief, that all of them has heard of, but none of them had ever seen”(DeFoe 234). Defoe alludes that women are seen as dependent and vulnerable, while men are self-sufficient and independent. As much as Flanders was dependent on finding an eligible suitor and making money, she was able to take care of herself. She was resourceful and was able to get by at times. The duality between Flanders’s masculine traits and feminine ideals creates a well-rounded character who maintains her own agency by rejecting gender stereotypes.

Masculinity was presented on a multitude of levels throughout the narratives. Behn captures masculinity at a noble and high standard, contrasting Pamela’s original views. Pamela had once feared masculinity as her perception of it was tarnished by her experience with Mr. B abusing her virtuous nature. By the end of the novel transforms into a strong-willed woman who is resilient. Moll Flanders viewed masculinity as a prize or a medal to raise her own status, only to gain those masculine qualities for herself. Leadership, independence, courage, and assertiveness were once known as masculine qualities are now used to describe the characters of our three novels. Masculinity is predominantly a gender-associated term aligning itself with males, but it was through these novels we can see that masculinity is universally shared. While the narrative used masculinity in different ways, they managed to rewrite the traditional definition creating well-rounded characters.

Works Cited

Behn, Aphra. Oroonoko: An Authoritative Text, Historical Backgrounds, Criticism. Edited by Joanna Lipking, W. W. Norton, 1997.

Foe, Daniel De. Moll Flanders: An Authoritative Text, Contexts, Criticism. Edited by Albert J. Rivero, W. W. Norton, 2003.

Richardson, Samuel. Pamela or Virtue Rewarded. Edited by William Merritt Sale, W.W. Norton, 1993.

ENG 328: The Novel to Jane Austen

Throughout the novel of Moll Flanders, the unfortunate character is reminded of her worth through the frequent occurrence of money. Moll relates the amount of money she has to her own worth. The more money she had, or wealthy her suitor, the higher she deems herself. It serves as a general motif as the amount both increases and decreases. The symbol of security is an object she holds onto during her travels and mirrors her ability to take care of herself. “Lifted me up, professing a great deal of Love for me; … and with that he put five Guineas into my Hand, and went away down Stairs” (Defoe p. 22) The amount of money is first present during her relationship with the older brother as he pays her for sex. $500 is what she is paid for her virtue, which is seen as a lot for her at the time. Through her marriages, affairs, and travels, her personal bank decreases to less than $200. Once she runs out of money, it is the birth of her life of crime as a petty thief where her bank increases to $700. Throughout the course, our perception of Moll changes based on how she spends and attains her money. It is then when she and James move to the plantation, that she is secure in her wealth. Moll is emotionally free to leave the life of crime behind as she is no longer counting her bank.

There is a correlation between the mention of linens and clothes to her relationship to her true self. It is mentioned in the prologue of Moll’s origin that her mother was arrested and sent to Newgate prison, “for a certain petty Thefit, scarce worth naming, Having an opportunity of borrowing three Pieces of find Holland” (Defoe p. 10). Holland, a fine piece of linen fabric, remains a reflection of the standards of women in society throughout the novel. The occurrence of fabrics serves as a reminder to Moll as a luxury she can not afford. One she tries to compensate for by finding a wealthy suitor to supply this need. She is taught at a young age needlework and sewing, a skill she uses to supply the nurse in exchange for service. The amount of linen a woman has also determines worth, as “fine clothes, gold watch, and a diamond ring or two had been all my fortune” (Dafoe p.68).

Moll retains a gold watch over her years of traveling. For a woman of Moll’s stature, a gold watch is seemingly uncommon and worth a lot. The wallet was a security for she knew she could sell it if needed, but relied heavily on her own money to stay afloat. Unfortunately, Moll is met with financial instability leaving her to a life of crime. When eating the Comrade, “helped me to, death in three sorts of Crafts, … taking off Gold Watches from the Ladies Sides” ( Dafoe p.159), the two are able to secure 120 gold watched between them only increasing her financial security at high risk. The gold watches give Moll the illusion of luxury, developing an arrogant attitude only to be brown down when attempting to steal one from a woman.

In society, a woman’s only way to succeed financially is to find a wealthy husband. That limits Moll as she either is left propelling for men or the life of crime. Moll valued material objects as a means to increase her status in society. The more items she possessed, the higher her value was. Ultimately, Moll’s obsession with materialistic items determining her value landed her in an untimely situation time and time again.

In in high society life of Highbury, lives Emma who interprets materialistic items differently one Moll Flanders. The carriages ridden in Highbury are typically by those in the higher class. The Woodhouses, The Knightleys, and Mr. Elton ride in carriages as opposed to the lower class. Carriages symbolize the desire and wealth of the upper class to enhance class boundaries. Mrs. Elton employs this “Without saying anything of our carriage, we should be able to explore the different beauties extremely well” (Aueten p.110) as she boasts about her wealthy carriage. Mr. Woodhouse always prefers to take the carriage contrasting Mr. Knightly who prefers to walk or ride horseback. “Mr. Knightley, to come out at this late hour to call upon us. I am afraid you must have had a shocking walk”, to he replied, “Not at all, It is a beautiful moonlight night” (Austen p. 4). This shows his character as he is comfortable in his position in society and does not need to flash his wealth.

In Emma’s naive matchmaking attempts to set up Mr. Elton and Harriett, she paints a likeness of Harriet to win Mr. Elton. The beautiful watercolor painting holds the virtuous reflection of Harriett that Emma has yet to realize. The painting only surfaced in two instances, the moment she painted it and when she later gave it to Mr. Martin as a token of her apology. The painting itself illustrates Emma’s desire to reshape Harriet to fit high society, going as far as to intentionally change her image. “As she meant to throw in a little improvement to the figure, to give a little more height, and considerably more elegance,…, the skill of the other, and the friendship of both” (Austen p. 21). Shaping Harriet’s destiny was Emma’s project throughout the novel that later blossomed into a friendship between the two.

In the unspoken rivalry between Emma and Jane Fairfax, the sender of the pianoforte is the deciding factor. During this period, women would often take the chance to show off their musical skills in the drawing room. “Soon as she entered the room had been struck by the sight of a pianoforte—a very elegant looking instrument—not a grand, but a large-sized square pianoforte” (Austen p. 87) similar to Emma’s perception of Jane Fairfax, recognizing her beauty but remained a symbol of her unspoken competition. A musical skill symbolized courtship and marriage, and one’s ability to perform one perfectly would result in talent and privilege. As Emma discovers that Frank Churchill has sent the pianoforte to Jane Fairfax, it changes her perception of class. Since Emma had saught Jane as less than her only to receive a gift worth more diminished her worth, “Jane Fairfax did look and move superior” (Austen p. 89)

One of the crucial aspects of the novel is the letters shared between the characters of Highbury. As most of the character’s appearance in the novel is limited, for Jane Fairfax and Frank Churchill, the letters serve as a way to observe their character through the reactions of other characters. Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax are often perceived by other characters before their introduction, with their letters being their first appearance. For Emma, the letters from Frank Churchill are sacred as she praises them for his love for her. Mr. Knightly believes the letters to be a form of deception amongst women, especially Emma, and views him as “[Churchill] a person I never think of from one month’s end to another” (Austen p.62).

Austen portrayed objects in the narrative as a means of social status. This assured society place, especially for Emma who valued the security of her status. Emma was imamured with the marriage aspect of securing status attempting to match everyone up. Throughout the novel, the material items that were once held dear to Emma surely change as her perspective changes. The pianoforte was a reminder of her jealousy of Jane Fairfax only to celebrate her engagement to Frank Churchill. Emma had cherished the letters from Frank Churchill until meeting him and realizing his love for Jane. The carriages once held prestige in her eyes until the incident with Mr. Elton, where thereafter she walks similarly to Mr. Knightly. The progression of Emma’s character and values change with her relationships with those dear to her and lets down her guard to embrace her love of Mr. Knighlty.

Works Cited
Austen, J., & Pinch, A. (2008). Emma. Oxford University Press.

Foe, Daniel De. Moll Flanders: An Authoritative Text, Contexts, Criticism. Edited by Albert J. Rivero, W. W. Norton, 2003.

Foe, D. D., & Smith, A. (2003). Moll Cutpurse, a Pick-Pocket and Highwaywoman. In Moll flanders: An authoritative text, contexts, criticism (p. 321). essay, W W NORTON.

ENG 288: Beginning Workshop Fiction

What happens now? They never say what is the next step. What do you do after you kill someone?

A cold breeze tingles down my back and I stand over an open grave. One of my own doing. Moonlight shines through the rustling trees illuminating the corpse. I pick up the shovel and fill in the grave.

Oh Margret, where did we go wrong?

With each scoop of dirt covering her pale skin erases her from my mind. Her too-poofy-to-be-real prom dress fades to a dusty brown. I remember when we went shopping for it, I absolutely hated it.

Sweat trickles down my head onto my black satin gown, I guess I unintentionally planned ahead. Hard to see sweat, let alone blood, on black.

A glimmer of light catches my eye. Who could it be?
A flashlight?
A search party?

No, it can’t, not this quickly
I crouch down and scurry behind a tree, tripping over the uneasy terrain.

“God! I hate these heels” I say yanking the god forsaken wedges off my feet. Margert recommended them, she was always recommending something.

“You would look so pretty if you wore heels, it will make the boys crazy! Ahh I love playing dress up on you”

Dress up? Like I was some kind of doll to her, she got what she deserved.

Scanning the area is no use at this hour, the moonlight only barely shines through the tall trees. Streaks of light but no one in sight.

My sigh of relief leaves a puff of cold smoke from my lips. The Oregon winters are chilling at this time of year. The last time I was up the the woods was when Margret and I went hiking. I begged her, Miss Princess would never be out in nature. Her insufferable wines were my last straw.

“Julie, why do we have to hike? It’s so cold out! Ugh” or “Julie only losers and rejects go out in the woods, we are not losers!”

Whenever I would plan a day for us she would shoot it down. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, still shame on me. But fool me for ten years of this constant ownership-type-friendship, shame on you. If only she would get out of her tiny brain once in a while she would… she would… ugh I don’t know but she wouldn’t be in a grave.

Each step on the ground sends shooting pains up my legs. Twigs, rocks, mud. But anything is better than those heels. As I walk back to the remains of my lifeless best friend, the glimmer blinds me once again. It Margret. At least her head anyway.

The moonlight catches a reflection of her tiara peeking through the dirt. She won it earlier in the night.

“I’m sorry, your Majesty,” I said reaching down to rip off the bloodstained tiara, “But I am going to commandeer your crown. It’s dirty after all”.
The blood from her head wound drips off the tiara. A shovel to the head will do that to you, luckily missing the tiara completely. Not even a scratch.

“Winter Ball Queen 2007. You acted like a queen and now you died as one. How fitting,” I say wiping off the blood of the tiara.

I place the tiara on my head. Does this feel right? It doesn’t feel wrong? “A crown destined for a queen” I say twirling my black dress.

I shovel the last of the dirt on her and pat it down. The silence of the woods echoes through my ears. Eerie.
Chilling.

Daunting.
I stare at her grave.
Something crawls up my throat with an unbeatable force.
“Why would you make me do this!” I scream at her. “Now that you dead I can finally speak my mind, yet…yet…I don’t KNOW WHAT TO SAY!”
I fall to the ground. A tear streams from my face and drips on her fresh grave.
“I loved you goddammit! Did you even notice? You were everything to me for years! I followed you around like a stray puppy and… How could you!” I muster up the strength to stand back up.

“I heard what you said to everyone tonight, “Julie’s a lost cause” or “Julie follows me around and I don’t know what to do with her”! I heard you tell Jacob that you were friends with me JUST BECAUSE I WAS YOUR PET!”

My heavy breathing slows, my tears start to resurface

“Did it start out that way? Did you even like me? I gave up so much for you, more than you will know!”

Anger fills my veins and I chuck the shovel at her.

“I was NOT your project! I WAS your FRIEND! I LOVED YOU! Was it all fake? The sleepovers, the shopping sprees? You just wanted to change me into you! I am not a charity case MARGRET!”

I wipe the tears from my eyes. A deep breath fills my lungs and let out a soft cloud of smoke from my lips. Wiping my dress and correcting the crown upon my head. I grab my shovel and walk away.

“Oh Margret,” I say under my breath, “I really did love you, more than anything imaginable. But now you are nothing”.

ENG 500: Research Methods

Introduction

The gothic horror novel, Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley has been a notable icon for the horror genre for decades. Shelley was a proud abolitionist and activist, both her and her husband. Frankenstein entails a narrative of a mad scientist, Victor Frankentsin, who puts the power of life into his own hands in attempting to resurrect the dead. This gothic tale turns grim when the creation is not what Frankensteon expected and casts it aside leaving the creature all alone. The dual-perspective novel shares a point-of-view from Frankenstein and the creature learning empathy for the reader’s discretion. Shelley was remarked for her influence on the novel came from her fascination with life and death after experiencing multiple deaths of her children. This led to the main character, Victor Frankenstein, fascinated with reanimating the dead as a way to work through her grief. With this being known as Shelley writing her personal experiences into the novel, we can draw that she worked in her personal beliefs as well. As a strong abolitionist and activist, Shelley maneuvered a novel that projects the struggles former slaves faced during a time where their stories were ignored. As the creature is villainized in Frankenstein’s perspective, the creature is seen as humane through his. As infamous as this tale is, Shelley reigns just as infamous. It is possible to assume her efforts to comment on the treatment of slaves or former slaves in society through the vilification of the creature in her novel. The question being, was it intentional of Shelley to depict the life of the creature similar to that of a former slave as her own radical form or purely based on her surroundings.

Methods

In examining Shelley’s familial circle, we can see where her personal ideology manifested and the literature that closely resembles that of the second half of the novel. The novel I will be close examining in comparison to Frankenstein will be the well-known Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass written in 1845 by Frederick Douglass. The novel recounts the brutality of Douglass’s early life on the plantation and his efforts to educate himself. This closely reflects that creature in his progression to connect with Frankenstein.

Mary Shelley’s parents were two famous radicals, Mary Wollstronecraft and William Godwin, known for their critiques on the social systems of the 19th century. Wollenstronecraft was known for her novel, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, where she draws the comparison between the oppression of women and slaves. Wollenstroncraft writes, “Woman in particular, whose virtue* is built on mutable prejudices, seldom attains to this greatness of mind; so that, becoming the slave of her own feelings, she is easily subjugated by those of others (Wollenstroncraft, Sect. IV, pg. 113). During the late 18th century, Godwin made plenty of efforts to end slavery by writing for debates in the New Annual Register (NAR). The NAR was a major annual publication that covered mass events in the intersection of politics and literature. Mary later married Percy Shelley, who was a radical as well, in 1816. The couple shared strong abolitionist views and participated in a number of protest against the slave trade. Before the trip to Switzerland that would be known as the birth of the novel, Percry had published various essays of religion and social inequality. Mary surrounded herself with family and friends who shared similar ideology of social issues, one of which was the issue of slavery. Shelley and her husband both decided to stop eating sugar because of it being produced by slave labor.

Literature Review

In the years after its initial publication, scholars have connected the findings from Shelley and the historical setting. Since Shelley wrote her novel during the peak of the abolition era, there is no denying she had opinions on abolition. Marie Mulvey-Roberts wrote Dangerous Bodies: Historicising the Gothic Corporeal where she draws the connection to Shelley’s creature to that of the “living dead”. As slavery was regarded as a form of civil death, similar to that of a living corpse, Mulvey-Roberts believed Shelley personified this into the main character. This supports my argument as a way to understand Shelley’s reasoning for making the creature villainous, or even toying with the idea of reanimating a figure that is considered dead in society. Shelley created an exaggerated form of what they described slaves to be monsters by illustrating how preposterous it was to them to easily adapt to society. Allan Lloyd Smith wrote ‘This Things of Darkness’ Racial Discourse in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein where he argued the novels signifying the racial anxieties displayed as the creature portrayed the marginalized “Other”(Smith). Smith used the monster as a metaphor for the dehumanization faced by minorities in British Colonialism. This is heavily emphasized by the rhetoric used in the novel as the creature is consistently perceived as a “monster”. P. J. Brendese supports these claims in his work, A Race of Devils: Race-Making, Frankenstein, and The Modern Prometheus, as he writes Frankenstein is the master who fears creating “a race of devils” (Brendese). This is especially prevalent when the creature asks Frankenstein to create him a wife and dismisses the request out of creating more “abominations”. Brendese, Smith, and Mulvey-Roberts support the assumption that Shelley portrays a master control over another through her novel, yet fail to explain Shelley’s familial influence or explain their findings as classified the novel under the slave narrative genre. They manage to identify the racial issues prevalent in the creature’s story and the historical context it reigns upon, but they do not connect the familiar influence of her parents and her husband she shared similar ideologies with. If she went as far to influence the novel by her own fascination with life and death, from the death of her children, then it is plausible to assume she would influence the novel with her radical beliefs of the emancipation of slaves during this impactful time.

Discussion

Shelley makes a twist in the novel by changing the narration from Frankenstein to the creature halfway through. In switching to the perspective of the creature, we see his childlike innocence. The size of a giant but the mind of an child. With his caretaker unwilling to teach him basic social skills, such as reading and writing, he must fend for himself leading to drastic mishaps. A similarity is made between a young Fredrick Douglass and creature as they struggle to adapt to the world around them. There are similarities between the two, the first being that they are unnamed and knows nothing of their origin. “Unseen and unknown”(Shelley pg. 123) the creature expresses his acknowledgment of his existence. The same goes for Douglass as he “[has] no accurate knowledge of my age, never having seen any authentic record containing it” (Douglass pg. 76). The two also yearned for bliss in their life and to be accepted in society. The creature dreamed, “I imagined that they would be disgusted, until, by my gentle demeanor and conciliating words, I should first win their favor and afterwards their love” (Shelley pg. 117). Both individuals also confronted their master’s where they each reign victorious, yet hit with the realization that they can never truly be accepted into society. Their master’s share resentment as they are forever marked as something different, meant to be exiled, and that civilized society would never tolerate their presence. Whether emancipated or escaped, they will forever be condemned. Douglass wrote in his novel how he first learned to read by trading with white boys for lessons. Realizing his passion for politics, he started reading literature to develop his sense of self as a form of coming into his activism. “The more I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers” (Douglass ch.7), Douglass wrote, which strikes a similarity to the creature’s progression. It is impossible for Shelley to know anything about Douglass, since he was born in 1818 the same year her novel was released, although they constrain striking similarities.

When the creature confronts Frankenstein, he states, “Hear my tale”, to begin the autobiography of an infant. The creature was born into the world having no language, unable to name or control his sensations, and alone. Learning the basic necessities of life on his own, “the uncouth and inarticulate sounds which broke from me frightened me into silence again” (Shelley pg. 110), wondering yet unable to speak. Stumbling upon a cottage in the woods where he observes language and begins to study the people it inhabits. Similar to Shelley and Douglass in personal life, the creature kept track of his readings and development of his knowledge. Throughout all of this, the creature’s account of his own education follows that of the genre of literature prevalent during this time: the slave narrative.

The abolitionist movement was making headway as protests were happening across the country. Britain and the United States were in the midst of enacting laws abolishing the importation of slaves in 1807, but there was still room to discuss the act of emancipation. A large debate was over slavery in Britain’s territories voting in favor of emancipation in 1833. Shelley closley followed this debate extensively reading several novels about the West Indies and the slave trade. Five years after the release of the novel, a theater production was made where the actor playing the creature was painted blue (Lepore). They felt that the blue paint was to make the creature appear more African. Once Shelley heard of this, she had not contested the comparison of the creature to that of a freed slave. Thus leading to believe that Shelley intended for the comparison to be made by the public as she believed in the politics of gradual emancipation. Shelley portrayed through her novel that the immediate emancipation would lead to chaos, but gradual would be the way to go as a sufficient way to ease them into society. Percy Often questioned it as, “Can he who the day before was a trampled slave suddenly become liberal-minded, forbearing, and independent? (P. Shelley)”.

Conclusion

The novel became a large segment of American culture based on his social implications in social inequality. With the Godwin and Shelley housewife passing before they saw the novel’s true success, it has led many scholars to question the intention of Shelley’s writing. The novel got its height of recognition when it was made into a film in 1931 of the same name. The film took a different approach in changing the course of the novel to fit their villainous agenda. Rewriting the narrative to portray the creature as the true monster as opposed to Frankenstein. The public got the uphand of vilifying the creature afterall, dismantling Shelley’s true intention. But what was her true intention? Shelley’s family has played a large role in the literary scholars, writing essays and challegending rhetoric that shifted the social climate. Shelley was not skilled in that field, but still wanted to embrace the cause. She took to literature, specifically fiction. Her gothic science fiction novel seemed like a grim read of monsters and mad scientist, but actually played a larger role of introducing the public to the dangers of immediate emancipation and the realities of being objectified by society.

Bibliography

Brendese, P. J. “A Race of Devils: Race-Making, Frankenstein, and The Modern Prometheus.” Political Theory, vol. 50, no. 1, 2022, pp. 86–113, https://doi.org/10.1177/0090591720988686.

Douglass, Frederick. “Narrative of The Life of Frederick Douglass, and American Slave.” 1845, Barnes and Noble Classics, 2003.

Lepore, Jill. “The Strange and Twisted Life of “Frankenstein.” The New Yorker, 2018, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/02/12/the-strange-and-twisted-life-of-frankenstein

Mulvey-Roberts, Marie. “Mary Shelley, Frankenstein and Slavery.” Dangerous Bodies, Manchester University Press, 2016, pp. 52-, https://doi.org/10.7228/manchester/9780719085413.003.0003.

Shelley, Mary Wollstronecraft. “Frankenstein, or, A Modern Prometheus.” 1818, Scholastic Book Services, 1969.

Shelley, Percy Bysshe. “The Revolt of Islam: A Poem in Twelve Cantos.” 1817,

https://knarf.english.upenn.edu/PShelley/islampre.html

Smith, Allan Lloyd. “‘This Thing of Darkness’: Racial Discourse in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.” Gothic Studies, vol. 6, no. 2, 2004, pp. 208–22, https://doi.org/10.7227/GS.6.2.4.

Wollstonecraft, Mary. “A Vindication of the Rights of Women with Structures on Political and Moral Subjects.” 1792, The University of Oregon, 2000. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/36679668.pdf

ENG 311: Persuasive Writing

“Wow, Holy Moly!” an audible reaction of mine to finishing a fairly short, but fiercely poignant, anti-war novel. The best way I can summarize the story structure is to say it’s about a guy writing a book about another guy’s whole life story, with a dash of alien abduction and a sprinkle of time travel, when he met him only a couple of times. Slaughterhouse-Five was, what I can honestly say, an interesting read.

I first heard about this gritty anti-war book from, believe it or not, Footloose. In a film about the essence of dance and freedom of expression, I found a book recommendation about alien abduction and prisoners of war.

Ren McCormmack’s character from the film overhears that the local school is having the book read and the parents are outraged. McCormmack tells them that book is a classic, with which I would have to agree. They instantly fell silent with a shocked looks on their face, as if he spat on their precious baby, and deemed the book should be banned in schools. Of course, this caught my intrigue. What could this book be about that would cause a whole town to be in an uproar?

I had to get my hands on this masterpiece.

Kurt Vonnegut writes about the life of an American soldier Billy Pilgrim. From his capture to becoming a prisoner of war in the final years of World War II, through the scattered memories of his life both before and after the war. To add the cherry on top, Vonnegut subtly adds in time travel when Billy Pilgrim is abducted by the Tralfamadorians. Aliens who are fascinated with the human race that reside outside space and time.

Holding back the pleasantries, and wasting no time, Vonnegut jumps directly into the narrative from the very first line. The bombing of Dresden. This is the titular event that is mentioned in the first sentence while remaining as a motif throughout the book. An omniscient-like narration recounts vague events of the war, leaving clues to the impending devastation of the events at Dresden towards the end of the book. Then introducing our leading man, Billy Pilgrim. No one has had it as bad as Billy. Time and time again, Billy is kicked down by life (literally and figuratively). I found myself screaming at the pages, “Please let the man have one good day, Just one!”

Oh Billy, where to begin? Unpopular. Squirmish. Prefers sinking to swimming and was bullied by his fellow soldiers in his unit. Joining the family optometry business at eighteen, he is enlisted and joins the war. When he gets back, he is later abducted by the Tralfamadorians and begins traveling through time. Recounting events from his youth, his life with his daughter, what life was like when he got out, and the lingering memories from the war. There he faces meaningless slaughters, people starving to death in gruelly weather, and the aforementioned events of Dresden. So it goes.

Ah, So it goes. There is no skipping past the 106 times Vonnegut says “So it goes”. It wasn’t until halfway through the book I connected the dots. He masterfully places the phrase after each mention of death. Death in war, death in his life, death from the Tralfamadorians. It’s the narrator, and Vonnegut, way of conveying the passive acceptance that comes with death. Alluding to the theme of allowing some things to remain out of our hands. We can not control death any more than we can control war. So it goes, as it will always go. One of the unchangeable constants.

It’s almost comical how casually he introduced the Tralfamadorians. It was not a big spectacle. No grand introduction. Just, BAM, alien abduction. Again, Vonnegut is a straight-to-the-point kinda guy. Initially viewed as absurdity conveyed as a stroke of genius. Vonnegut’s dark humor adds a glimmer of comic relief through his satiric voice. There were moments when I questioned if I should be laughing at the Tralfamadorians being shaped like toilet plungers. Or the awkwardness of Billy meeting the famous actress on the alien ship Especially the fact that they have an onboard “zoo” for the humans.

Even though it’s fairly short, it does not make it such an “easy read”. Quite the opposite, but don’t let that intimate you.

He writes in a way that reminds me of what my English teachers in school would urge the class against: “Write like your audience knows nothing about what you’re talking about”. He wrote the complete opposite. As if his audience was familiar with every visceral details about war, Dresden, and his friends. Subtly dropping names and bringing back the characters midway through the book. Telling a story halfway through, then backtracking, only to skip ahead to finish the story from twenty pages back. Don’t even get me started on the Time Travel. In the span of one page, Billy can travel from pre, post, and back to during the war, and some part in the middle on the Tralfamadorian ship that is somehow separated from time and space. Yet it works.

Yes, it’s confusing, and yes it’s hard to read at times but it serves the larger plot. The nonlinear structure shows the effects war has on those that serve, both mentally and physically. Billy’s memories are all jumbled together, alluding to his feeling of being unsuck in time.

So, why was the town of Footloose distraught by this book? Was it Vonneguts abrupt obscene language? His depictions of sexual or violent acts? Maybe they couldn’t handle the harsh realities of the long-term effects war has on those who served. Or the lack of patriotism Vonnegut illustrates that they, and many others outside of the film, have sought out the book to be banned in public school systems?

With that said, I can confidently say it is one of the best books I have read. Spending the day at work, counting down the seconds where I can finish the chapter to find out what other misfortunes Billy has stumbled upon. Reading closely to each short and direct sentence traveling back and forth in time within a single page. I urge you to read the book. Realize why the absurdity of the Tralfamdorians is a stroke of genius, and decide for yourself. Either you are on the side of McCormmack or the town of Footloose.

Works Cited

1. Montagnino, Autumn. “Vonnegut by the Numbers.” Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library, 4 May 2022, https://www.vonnegutlibrary.org/2018/07/vonnegut-by-the-numbers/#:~:text=As%20most%20Vo nnegut%20fans%20could,than%20once%20every%20three%20pages.
2. Rushdie, Salman. “What Kurt Vonnegut’s ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’ Tells Us Now.” The New Yorker, 13 June 2019, https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/what-kurt-vonneguts-slaughterhouse-five-tells-us- now.
3. Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five, or, the Children’s Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death. Random House Publishing Group, 2009.