It is in chapter 9 of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray that we can see connections to statements from John Addington Symonds. As Dorian, the main character, grows older he becomes a kind of idol to some of those in his society. Dorian becomes “the lover” that Symonds talks about in his essay “A problem in Greek Ethics.” The “young exquisites” of society who adopt Dorian’s “mode of dressing, and the particular styles that he affected from time to time” (Wilde 93) are “The Dorians” that Symonds states are the problem. These Dorians “copied everything [Dorian] did and tried to reproduce the accidental charm of his graceful…fopperies” (Wilde 93). The problem that Symonds has with this is the “encouragement of Greek love” which, in modern terms, is the encouragement of being gay. Dorian is everything the young boys in his society wish to be. He is wealthy, has Lord Henry by his side, and very handsome (being that he no longer ages). He has the opportunity to study things such as religion, the study of perfumes, music, the study of jewels, and embroideries. Dorian, on the outside, looks to be sure of himself, which is something that other young boys can look up to.
Author: lazoe1
Lazo’s Thoughts on Prostitution
Tristan blames the existence of prostitution on society, specifically the inequality that existed between men and women during the Victorian era. She states, “…let this monstrosity be attributed to our social state and let women by absolved from it!” Tristen points out that had women been afforded the same opportunities as men, the need to engage in prostitution would not have been nearly as bad as it was during the Victoria era.
“Magdalen” by Amy Levy is a poem that takes the point of view of a woman who lives as a prostitute. Her life is cold and sad; she was forced into prostitution because of a man she thought loved her. By the end of the poem, the narrator dies of some unnamed disease. Tristan gives an account of the prostitutes she happened to encounter. Many of them were “half-dressed, [and] bare to the waist, they were shocking and disgusting…” (Tristan). The end of Levy’s poem really puts into perspective what Tristan meant when she wrote, “when a dog dies he is watched by his master, whereas the prostitute ends on a street corner without anyone’s throwing her a glance of pity.” Levy’s poem is full of lonliness, the narrator stops caring about her life in the end and is ready to move on. Tristan pointed out in her article that many women who go into prostitution usually do not make it past 4 years.
Personally, I blame the men of the Victorian period. They judged women who went into prostitution, but it was really the men who left the women with no other options. Also, prostitution would not have been a good alternative for these women if sex selling weren’t so popular. Obviously there were men who were willing to pay or there wouldn’t have been “80,000 to 100,000 girls” (Tristan) living by prostitution. Prostitution was by no means an easier life for these women, but it was a way for them to try to take back their lives. For many of them, it was the last thing standing between feeding themselves or starving to death.
Stir-Crazy Governesses
According to the article, governesses were those women who were unhappy with their current state in life and who left “their quiet homes for the school-rooms of halls and castles” (569). The problem with these women is that Victorian society took advantage of the fact that there was a surplus in the number of governesses versus the number of positions. These women, who only hoped for a better education and maybe a better life, were left with low paying salaries and the burden of being the “hired strangers” (570). Governesses became the lowest class:
Many ladies would not dare treat their maids as they behave to the teacher of their children. Why? The maid had a broad field before her; she can afford to turn upon her mistress. The governess must endure all things. A low marriage or a slow death are her only loopholes of escape. (575)
The article then goes on to discuss the dissatisfaction that governesses deal with throughout their lives. They are unable to return home and unwilling to be paid any mind by their employers; “Governesses are usually a fretful, discontented race” (574).
Though Brontë’s character, Jane, is absolutely one of those discontented women that the appendix article talks about, she is saved when she attends Lowood. Jane had a very rough start in life, being orphaned and raised by an abusive family, and only dreamed of venturing out and knowing more of the world. Lowood gives Jane the tools she needs to apply and get her position at Thornfield Hall. Instead of following the “norm,” Jane is saved when she leaves the Reeds’. All that awaited her there was abuse with no affection, save that of Bessie, one of the maids. Jane truly benefits when she attends Lowood, especially after the typhus incident when other members of the community get involved and Mr. Brockelhurst is removed as sole caretaker of the girls. Jane never once regrets leaving her lavish home behind for the simplicity of Lowood.
Jane is happy at Thornfield Hall — Jane had “heard of the treatment of governesses” (Brontë 163). After some time, she finds that she still “desire[s] more of practical experience than [she] possessed, more of intercourse with [her] kind, [and] acquaintance with variety of character” (Brontë 178). It is right at the point that Jane begins to feel stir-crazy, the way the article predicted, that Mr. Rochester comes into the picture. Mr. Rochester does not treat Jane in the conventional way; instead of ignoring Jane he takes pleasure in her company and she in his. I feel as though the introduction of Mr. Rochester at this point in time is Brontë going against the ideas in the Fraser Magazine. Jane is not the crazy governess who will have to be sent to the asylum, she is witty and perceptive. The relationship between Jane and her employer is very odd, but Jane finds that she dreads the day Mr. Rochester departs because she will know what it truly is to be alone.
Works Cited
Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Ed. Richard Nemesvari. Toronto: Broadview, 1999. Print.
“Hints on the Modern Governess System.” Fraser’s Magazine November 1844: 567-577. Print
Victorian Opinions on Abortion
Abortion is a topic that has been argued both for, and against, for hundreds of years; nowadays the argument is pro-life versus pro-choice. The article that I read on Lee Jackson’s “Victorian Dictionary” is basically a very long rant that negates the practice of abortions. Augustus Gardiner, a physician in 1894, is the author of such an article. From the very first line we see his viewpoint on the topic of abortion; “Of all the sins, physical and moral, against man and God, I know of none so utterly to be condemned as the very common one of the destruction of the child while yet in the womb of the mother.” The article then goes on to talk about all the places in the world that practice infanticide and the reasons for such a practice. He mentions places like Greece and China and Sparta, places that practice infanticide due to deformities or religious practices, etc. These places are meant to serve as juxtaposition to England because the women in England were getting abortions due to “selfish” reasons. Gardiner states that the women would rather face “the heinousness of the sin; the possibility of death immediate and painful; the likelihood of prolonged illness and future debility; [and] the chance of a blighted being constantly before the sight…” rather than have their children. Gardiner really plays on the ethos of the people of the time by focusing on the fact that killing a child is an act against God.
The only credibility Gardiner has is that fact that he is an actual physician who probably encounters women seeking abortions on a daily basis. Unfortunately, it is known that the Victorian era was a time when women were seen as property whose only real purpose was bearing children and staying at home to cook and clean and raise those same children. Though I am not condoning abortions, I feel as though the women who were brave enough to seek abortions or even desperate enough to attempt to do it themselves were really women speaking out and taking back a piece of themselves that was given away the second they said, “I do.” Gardiner also contradicts himself at times. He states, “we can forgive the poor, deluded girl-seduced, betrayed, abandoned-who, in her wild frenzy, destroys the mute evidence of her guilt…But for the married shirk, who disregards her divinely ordained duty, we have nothing but contempt…” If abortion were truly evil then wouldn’t it make sense that it would be a sin to every woman who had one? Not just the married ones? This quote further supports my idea that his real anger is directed at the married women who did not really exist in the eyes of the law and of men.
Works Cited
“Victorian London – Sex – Abortion – Opinions.” The Conjugal Relationships as Regards Personal Health & Hereditary Well-being. Victorian London Dictionary. Web. 14 February 2016.
Lee Jackson’s Abortion Article: Here
E. Lazo’s Blog Post 1
Hi, my name is Emily Lazo. I am a senior double majoring in English and Communications and Media with a concentration in Interpersonal. Weirdly enough, my favorite genre of books falls within the “young adult” category (I say weird because I am almost 21 years old already and I feel like as an English major, there are certain expectations on my selection of books). My favorite author is probably Rick Yancey; I find his style of writing really different and a bit more sophisticated for the typical YA genre.
I want to start off first by pointing out how ironic it is that a man should be commenting on the behavior of women. His tone speaks of a self-importance that is reminiscent of Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice, especially when Mr. Collins picks a sermon book to read to the Bennett women instead of a novel.
Fordyce’s sermon starts off by describing the responsibility women have to their families, and most importantly their parents. He states, “We can prognosticate nothing virtuous, nothing happy, concerning those wretched creatures that do not feel the satisfaction, ease, or honor of their parents” (394). He then goes on to discuss how women have all the power over men and should therefore never abuse that power. His idea of a perfect woman is an “accomplished woman, in whom purity and meekness, intelligence and modesty, mingle their charms” (400). The idea of a witty female, on the other hand, is disastrous because men should never have to “suffer this restraint at home” (400).
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice makes fun of Fordyce’s sermons in every way. Each of the Bennett daughters plays on the rules that Fordyce lists but for now we will focus on Lizzy, one of the main protagonists. Lizzy is that very witty female that Fordyce so fears. She not only speaks her mind but she also rejects a marriage proposal not only once, but three times. On the last time Lizzy tells Mr. Collins, “Can I speak plainer? Do not consider me now as an elegant female intending to plague you, but as a rational creature speaking the truth from her heart” (Austen 140). Lizzy obviously does not care that her mother’s sole purpose in life is marrying off her five eligible daughters; she chooses her own happiness instead. Lizzy’s father, instead of forcing her to accept Mr. Collins’ proposal tells Lizzy, “From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do.” (Austen 142). Lizzy, being Mr. Bennett’s favorite, knew that her father was giving her a very clear signal that it was entirely up to her whether or not she agreed to marry.