John Addington Symonds argues in his 1896 essay, “A Problem in Modern Ethics,” that “Urning” men are markedly different in physical appearance and mannerisms. Symonds writes that although the gay man’s body may be visibly masculine, his soul is marked by the “attribute of femininity.” This concept uses the gender binary to define what society viewed to be concrete homosexual characteristics. Wilde uses almost the same rhetoric to describe Basil Hallward in a passage from Dorian Gray. Continue reading
Author: philliph1
Prostitution and Blame in Victorian London
Flora Tristan views prostitution in England during the Victorian Period as something like a disease, a “diabolical debauchery” that women were forced into by economic necessity, hunger, and inequality between the genders.
Tristan uses forceful language to express her disgust at the way prostitutes conduct their daily business and are forced to live their lives, as well as the lack of “commiseration for victims of vice” through the church or society. She also blames England’s greed (primarily the growing market economy/ public sphere) and corruption alongside rigid gender expectations. With growing poverty came a need for women to provide for themselves in any way they could. The “love of money” breaking down the young man’s wants for domestic affection or compassion further aggravated treating the women like animals. Overall, Tristan does not blame the women for their profession, saying that they are “driven to” it, placing her ire toward English society.
Gender Influence and Governesses
“The modern governess system is a case between woman and woman.”
(“Hints on the Modern Governess System” 571)
The magazine article from Fraser’s critiques the governess system by an aim at the domestic sphere. The women hiring the governesses are the intended audience, and the article repeatedly relies on a mother’s empathy. But wait… there’s no wife at Thornfield Hall. How does this change the governess critique? How does it relate to Jane Eyre? My blog post uses the quote as a starter topic, and will seek to explore how Brontë treats the governess’s duty in a home without a motherly domestic influence. Continue reading
Exploring the Victorian Lady’s Dressing Room
My entry from Lee Jackson’s “Victorian Dictionary” relates to feminine attractiveness in the Victorian Era. Taken fromThe Lady’s Dressing Room, the excerpt provides a preface to the author’s advice on how to retain beauty. It was intended for a specific audience: married women committed to charming their husbands.
The text is from 19th Century French etiquette author Baroness Staffe’s work. The translator, Lady Colin Campbell (Gertrude Elizabeth Blood) was a journalist and writer. She was also involved with a few divorce scandals, which is interesting when paired with the text’s intended audience. I’m still not sure whether or not it should be read as satire, and couldn’t find much additional info online for it.
First Blog Post: Introductions and Wit
Hello everyone! I’m Hannah, and am a senior with an English major/Journalism minor. I love to read, listen to music, write, and look at houses. My favorite author is Cormac McCarthy, and his book Blood Meridian is awesome, especially if you’re into U.S. History and violent storylines.
This week’s excerpts from Fordyce’s “Sermons to Young Women” had marked comparisons to Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I’ve taken to analyzing Sermon V, which focuses on female virtue, friendship, and conversation. While reading Fordyce’s warning on woman’s ability in wit and taking wit over “dulness and insipidity, moroseness and rigour” (397), I immediately thought about Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth.