The two articles on old maids agree that there is a multitude of women that are old maids: female bachelors that are destined to remain that way. Carlile states that an old maid is a women past the age of 25 whose comely features deteriorate. Poor features start to rise and rob the woman of her charm and good looks due to her lack of sexual exploration. “[t]hey become pale and languid, that general weakness and irritation, a sort of restlessness, nervous fidgettyness takes possession of them.” (Carlile). While Sala writes about how you can tell which girls based on their personality and demeanor “Among a family of blooming girls one who already wears the stigmata of old maidenhood.” He believes that a woman either blooms into a marriageable woman or a sad old maid.
While men normally do not remain bachelors their whole lives some women (old maids) seem destined to remain single, as he explains “But how many women-young, fair, and accomplished, pure and good and wise-are doomed irrevocably to solitude and celibacy!” They try to join the married but as Sala further explains “It chills the blood to see these hopeless cases, to see the women resign themselves to their fate with a sad meek smile-to come back, year after year, and find them still meek, smiling, but sad, confirmed old maids.” It is not that they are uncomely as Carlile suggests, but they resign to a life of solitude and without marriage. Sala was a journalist writing a book that was meant to be an accurate description of a day in London during the 1850s, so when he mentions the old maids he is only explaining them as they are, not with a trace of irony or misrepresentation from his perspective.
From Carlile’s view, he wanted women to have sexual emancipation and that without this emancipation, women will become old maids. While Carlile believes it is through sexual exploration as he states “Women who had never had sexual commerce begin to droop when about twenty-five years of age, that they become pale and languid.” If a women does not engage themselves, in these experiences, she will begin to suffer the affects of old maidenhood and start to decline as a person.
Sala, George Augustus. Twice Round the Clock, or The Hours of the Day and Night in London. 1859. Print.
Carlile, Richard. Every Woman’s Book . 1838. Print.
From your blog post, Carlile’s description of Old Maid’s sounds like a cruel critique of woman that aren’t able to find a husband. However, his belief that a woman that does not have sexual emancipation will begin to become this “pale and languid” person makes sense. My question though is how would a woman be able to have any sort of sexual freedom if it was improper to have any relationship beyond a courtship and it’s impending marriage? Was it a decision between sexual fulfillment or social status? Or were all old maids immediately cast out because of their undesirableness? Sorry for all the questions, they’re what popped into my head as I read your blog post. 🙂
I found this post to be extremely interesting. While Carlile’s view is very offensive and degrading towards women, it is also in favor of bringing a little more independence for women. His view seems out of frame for the time period. It seems to me that he is adding onto the current ideas about women, while still somewhat holding onto old ideals.
I agree that this article takes a weird stance. It is incredibly misogynistic to tell women that they have no worth after 25. . On the other hand it is advocating for women to have more sexual freedom to prevent them from becoming old maids. Regardless, Carlile talks as if women only have value in relation to men and no value as individual human beings.