Female Clerks

~ reevesj2 ~ 2 Comments

My topic of research from Lee Jackson’s The Victorian Dictionary was about female clerks. There was a satire article from the Victorian newspaper Punch about a female clerk being hired in a post office. The article deftly makes a mockery of the idea of women working in a post office: “…we see no objection to female clerks, who will, at all events, be sure to have something to say…” (“A FEMALE FUNCTIONARY”). Due to their lack of having a voice in many situations, the writer is teasing the idea that they would love to speak here because elsewhere they are to remain silent and submissive. The article continues to mock women by targeting the limitations of their legal standing: “We rather tremble…for we know what an awful propensity most women have to put papers to rights, and the inextricable confusion into which papers are generally thrown by the process” (“A FEMALE FUNCTIONARY”). Seeing as how women are rarely allowed to sign legal papers without the consent of a male guardian, this is a shot on their limitations. The idea of them handling the legal papers of others is certainly humorous and ridiculous to the Victorian readers. If not degrading enough to the female gender, the satire ends by taking the responsibilities of their position and twisting them into a cruel joke: “Perhaps, however, the State Papers are not intended for reference, and as most of them are possibly mere waste paper by this time, a female hand may be very useful in cramming them into all sorts of holes and corners, where they will be quite out of everybody’s way, and utterly inaccessible” (“A FEMALE FUNCTIONARY”). The author morphs the female clerk from the role of maintaining the functioning of an important service into handling an unimportant task where the result does not affect the documents in the least. He talks about the female clerks cramming the waste paper away where it is in nobody’s was and inaccessible but he is also referring to the clerks themselves as if their job would satisfy them and keep them out of the real business of government and law.

Works Cited
“A FEMALE FUNCTIONARY.” Punch. Victorian London Dictionary. Web. 12 February 2016. http://www.victorianlondon.org/index-2012.htm

Thin Women

~ martinej12 ~ 5 Comments

I read an article about thin women in the Victorian period.  I find it interesting that the topic of the attractiveness of women’s bodies has been going on since such an early period.  I was not surprised that the author of this article was against thin women as being thin did not become popular until the 20th century.  What I did find interesting is the way that the author of the article discusses the reasons for thinness is the way that people in the modern era have talked about the reasons people are overweight.  The article states, “Thinness is often caused by too poor living-that is, by badly-chosen and insufficient food-and by over-fatigue, especially when brought on by prolonged brain-work and excessive anxiety. It is also promoted by a nervous and bilious temperament and a gloomy disposition” (1).  The author discusses poor diet as a reason for thinness which in our time is usually associated with being overweight.  What I also find intriguing is that the demeanor of a thin woman is discussed in this article.  The author states multiple times that thin women are gloomy,  unpleasant, etc.  Physical appearance has nothing to do with personality, yet society has been making claims such even during the Victorian period.  The author also claims that being thin takes away from a women’s femininity.  I knew before that women have always been scrutinized for their appearance, but I didn’t realize how similar the verbiage of the subject would be.  Words like “thin” and “fat” are basically interchangeable in articles like this and if the word “fat” were in this article instead of “thin,” I would have assumed the article was written during the 20th century.  The article goes on to discuss women’s attractiveness in relation to their husband’s happiness.  I find it interesting that in discussing bodies, the idea is always to appear attractive to someone else and not about being healthy.

“Advice and Recipes.”  Victorian London Dictionary.  Web.  14 February 2016.  victorianlondon.org.

At the Ladies Club

~ Antonia ~ 4 Comments

After learning about the Gentleman’s Club in the “Victorian Period” game, I decided to look into the “Ladies Club” section of the Victorian Dictionary. There was only one article in the section, and it was by the satirical conservative newspaper Punch. However, through the mockery that they give to the idea, they expose exactly what they fear women obtaining. The Ladies Club did not even actually exist, but the piece speculates on what might occur if it did, and how it’s possible formation incites “fearful questions.” Their first question is if there will be a club committee, and if there is how many women will be allowed to speak at once. This betrays a fear of women organizing and having a voice completely outside the control of men. They then question whether there will be a smoking room, and if “cigars will suffer to be lighted” or, for fear of illness, only “the middlest cigarettes.” Not only does this show disgust at the idea of women adopting a symbol of masculinity for their own pleasure, but it doubts whether they will be able to do that, or if their delicate constitutions would prevent it. They then question what women will discuss. Whether it will be topics they feel appropriate, such as “the nursery” and “bonnets,” or if they will talk of more scandalous matters such as love, marriage, and even divorce. In this question they restrict the interests of women to the domestic life. They do not even consider that women may talk about politics, literature, science, or anything outside of marriage and children. They go on, continuing to trivialize women, and their interests, even suggesting that ballots will be represented by cotton balls instead of actual ballots. Perhaps paper is just too heavy. They predict a woman in the club scorning her husband and leaving him to take care of the children for a night, while she takes time for herself. This practice, which men a known to do, is seen as selfish in a woman because her first concern should be the family and not herself. The last point they make on behavior in the club gives a good insight into the male gaze of the period: “what a sensation would be caused on the street pavement, if the Club belles were to congregate about the Club beau-windows, and stare through their eye-glasses every handsome man who passed.” They are revealing an anxiety about being objectified the same way that they objectify women. The entire article shows a fear, not of equality, but of a world where women have power over men in the same way that men have power over women.

Works Cited

“The Ladies Club” Punch. Victorian London Dictionary. Web. 12 February 2016. http://www.victorianlondon.org/women/ladiesclub.htm

Exploring the Victorian Lady’s Dressing Room

~ philliph1 ~ Leave a comment

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.

Continue reading →

Introduction and Fordyce’s Sermons

~ Antonia ~ Leave a comment

Hello, I’m Antonia Carey. I’m a double major in English and Theatre Arts with a Performance concentration. I’ve never pinpointed a single favorite author, but some of my favorites are Mary Shelley, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Christopher Marlowe, Sandra Cisneros,  Hemingway, and Oscar Wilde.
Pride and Prejudice seems to be responding to Fordyce’s Sermons by emphasizing the individual over a ubiquitous image of “the female.” Where Fordyce is writing to women on how to be marriageable, Austen is writing about the effect that this constant pressure to be marriageable is affecting each of the women in the Bennet household. The most obviously affected by this idea of womanhood that Fordyce presents is Mary, whom we know is reader of “moral philosophy” (70). Mary does not show any signs of excessive wit or study of “frivolous arts” that Fordyce warns against (395). Yet, in Fordyce’s eyes, she still transgresses against her sex. He writes in “On Female Virtue, Friendship, and Conversation” that “Dulness [sic] and insipidity, moroseness and rigour, are dead weights on every kind of social intercourse” (397). Mary appears to have these in spades, as she is constantly taking the moral high ground and demeaning anything that she finds to be frivolous. It’s noted that when the Bennet sisters go into Meryton, accompanied by Mr. Collins, that “every sister except Mary agreed to go” (105). Fordyce also mentions women learning the difference “between an obliging study to please,” which he finds to be a good quality among women, and “an indecent desire to put themselves forward,” which is something women should avoid displaying. Mary transgresses here as well. It is stated plainly in chapter VI that Mary who, due to not being pretty like her sisters, “worked hard for knowledge and accomplishments, was always impatient for display.” At this event, Mary does play a long concerto, but makes up for it with “Scotch and Irish airs” (62-63). Her behavior at the Netherfield ball is not quite as felicitous. She is imposing on the party, so much so that Elizabeth subtly entreats their father to stop her (132). Mary, by trying too hard to be the woman that she is expected to be, becomes one of the women that Fordyce denounces.

Sara’s Blog Post

~ n02714729 ~ 1 Comment

Hello, I am an English major with a creative writing minor and I am quite fond of the novels of Victor Hugo and the poetry of William Blake, Walt Whitman and T.S. Eliot.

Fordyce’s sermon widely discusses the societal expectations of a young woman in regards to her speech, her friendships, and her responsibility in her household. He emphasizes the importance of the “conduct of daughters” in order to maintain peace within her family and this is done through a number of “proper” behaviors that are widely demanded on women more so, (as Fordyce admits) than on men. Fordyce writes, “The world, I know not how, overlooks in our sex a thousand irregularities, which it never forgives in yours; so that the honour and peace of a family are, in this view, much more dependent on the conduct of daughters than on sons” (394).

I believe this point to be the prominent issue in which Austen is challenging in Pride and Prejudice. The Bennetts have their five daughters, each with their differences in so-called conduct. Mrs. Bennett’s disgust in her daughter, Lizzie, who is the most rebellious of the daughters, is one way in which nineteenth century female roles affect the peace of the household. One instance where this is prominent, is the scene when Lizzie rejects Mr. Collins’ marriage proposal. She does not reject it once, but several times and assures Collins that she will continue to reject it if he so chooses to ask again. What is important here, is not only the shock and disappointment that is brought onto Collins, but how this refusal effects the relationship between Lizzie and her mother. The following scene when Lizzie is called to speak with her parents, her father tells her that her mother insists in her to accept the proposal and then says to his wife, “Is not it so, Mrs. Bennett?” and to which she responds, “Yes, or I will never see her again.” (142).

Another point made by Fordyce that can be actively portrayed in Austen’s novel is: “If men discover that you captivate them by an outside only, or by little frivolous arts, there are, it must be confessed, many of them who will rejoice at that discovery” (395). I find that Pride and Prejudice reflects heavily on this point, given that the girls are expected to take pride in their outer looks in order to attract men and perhaps in some cases, that may be one of the most important attributes. For instance, taking a look at the sister, Mary. Mary reads all of the books on proper conduct and behavior and frequently shows off her ability to play the piano in effort to make up for the fact that she was not blessed with the greatest looks. There is a scene in the novel where her being “carried away” with her musical talent and the only male attention she gains is her father scolding her to stop: “Mary, though pretending not to hear, was somewhat disconcerted; and Elizabeth sorry for her, and sorry for her father’s speech , was afraid her anxiety had done no good.” (132)

Ultimately, I find that Fordyce’s sermon certainly has influence over Austen’s novel. At least, some of the points Fordyce makes are found in the novel, and I find that he does sympathize with women more so than other men of that time, given that he he admits that it is on the female to maintain stability and peace within her household and that it is a greater stab on the family’s pride if she were to “go astray” as opposed to a male child. I feel like the sermon agrees with Austen to a certain point, as Fordyce is no doubt, aware of the prejudices against women in his contemporary society, especially in regards to keeping peace in the household and having to have “good enough” looks to attract a man to marry them.

E. Lazo’s Blog Post 1

~ lazoe1 ~ 1 Comment

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.

 

Introductions and Sermons

~ Rachel W. ~ 1 Comment

Hello everyone! My name is Rachel and I am a senior English major at SUNY New Paltz. My favorite novelist/short story writer is Franz Kafka although recently I’ve been getting into some of Roberto Bolaño’s novels as well as Carlos Fuentes’.  Among my favorite poets are Sylvia Plath, Stevie Smith, Pablo Neruda, and T.S. Eliot. I like to read in Spanish as well as English.

Before I dive into the text of Pride and Prejudice and how it responds to James Fordyce’s Sermons to Young Women, I just want to point the irony in the section titled “On the Importance of the Female Sex.”  Fordyce seems to lament that women in society are more highly scrutinized than men when he writes “The world, I know not how, overlooks in our sex a thousand irregularities, which it never forgives in yours; so that the honor and peace of a family are, in this view, much more dependent on the conduct of daughters than of sons…” (394).  However he has written two volumes worth of sermons telling young women how to conduct themselves and behave in society, only adding to the scrutiny.  I thought also there is much irony in the way he claims that women have so much influence over men because of their sexuality and therefore should act in certain ways.  It is incredibly sexist to want to control women’s behavior just because their sexuality, according to Fordyce, impacts men so much.

Elizabeth Bennet’s conduct in Pride and Prejudice completely undermines what Fordyce expects about how young women should act. Fordyce advises that women refrain from exercising wit and instead aim for piety.  For Fordyce, wit is something already to be frowned upon but it is “especially […] dreaded in women” (400).  Elizabeth on the other hand does not act very pious at all, in fact religion is scarcely mentioned except for when it is said that everyone attended church services.  Elizabeth engages in witty banter with Mr. Darcy and she is also highly sarcastic. When in the company of Miss Bingley and Mr. Darcy one evening at Netherfield she makes sarcastic remarks makes fun of Darcy right to his face.  She says  to Miss Bingley, “Mr.  Darcy is not to be laughed at!” (92) and continues “That is an uncommon advantage, and uncommon I hope it will continue, for it would be a great loss to me to have many such acquaintance. I dearly love a laugh” (92). She sarcastically says straight to Darcy “Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own and I laugh at them whenever I can.– But these, I suppose, are precisely what you are without” (92).  Despite her mocking him, Darcy seems to enjoy their conversation and they continue back and forth, much to Miss Bingley’s dismay.  Fordyce advises women to speak with grace and to never be rude.  And yet while Elizabeth is mocking Darcy, they both are enjoying themselves.  It is evident in Pride and Prejudice that wit does not make for dreadful women, it makes for fun and interesting conversation, fun and interesting women.

Fordyce: Proud and Mostly Prejudice

~ Joe Curra ~ 1 Comment

Hi, I’m Joe Curra. I’m an English major with a concentration in Creative Writing. My favorite author has always been a never ending mystery, even to myself. Hemingway and Vonnegut are easily two of my favorites, but ever since reading Nathaniel West’s Miss Lonelyhearts, I’m usually compelled to mention him. West isn’t nearly as prolific as Hemingway or Vonnegut, but Miss Lonelyhearts felt like something truly special when I read it and it’s stuck with me ever since.
James Fordyce might stick with me for worse, though. In fact, his Sermons to Young Women leaves as uncomfortably distasteful of a resonance with me as Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie. Both develop an inexcusable, shockingly innate pro-male sexism that’s equally disturbing. This sentiment is perhaps worse for Dreiser, considering his novel came significantly later.
The first most revolting statement from Fordyce’s “sermon,” coincidentally, appears within the first sentence of our assigned reading. He states, “When a daughter…dishonours her sex…” (394). There’s a lot of extra nonsense going on in this sentence, but the contingent absurdities are best summarized through this focus, I think. Who has allowed Fordyce to decide, as a male, how a woman “dishonours” her own, non-male, sex? It’s paradoxical, especially if a woman couldn’t decide the same parameters for men. Out of what’s an assumed common desire of Victorian men to regulate, and have regulated, women’s’ behavior, stems Fordyce’s need to preach etiquette and behavior. By immediately putting down the potential for women to behavior within their own decided regulations, beliefs, or wants, Fordyce ignores the capacity for men to act “unruly” or “foolish,” insinuating repeatedly that women ought to be shamed for acting out, while men may be excused (or lack the capacity to be equally foolish altogether).
Because of Fordyce’s narrow perspective of women, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice offers clear juxtaposition between the novel’s thematic values and those of Fordyce. In other words, I don’t think Austen’s text agrees with Fordyce’s. One of my favorite examples so far of Pride and Prejudice’s anti-Fordyce practices occurs on page 123 of the text. Elizabeth states, “It is your turn to say something now, Mr. Darcy…” Elizabeth is being fairly forward, certainly sarcastic, and outstandingly witty here, as she walks Darcy through proper ballroom behavior. Fordyce would consider the reversal in superiority during this moment an attempt on Elizabeth’s part to insult Darcy, being a critic of his (which is specifically described as poor behavior on a woman’s part in Sermons to Young Women, page 398).
I think Austen is working against, fairly subversively, generally opposing male oriented dispositions and regulations within her time. The development of Elizabeth’s character, and her independence, makes Elizabeth exciting to read. Having no prior experience or knowledge of Pride and Prejudice before this class, I’m pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable the novel is.

Tori Albrecht Blog Post One

~ n02565783 ~ 1 Comment

Tori Albrecht

English major, Creative Writing Minor

I love J.R.R. Tolkien, but I’ve gotten really into Patrick Rothfuss recently. I have a lot of favorite authors but for a top list Nelle Harper Lee would definitely be on it, as would Hemingway, Eliot, Wells, Keats, Blake and strangely enough Chaucer.

“Wit is commonly looked upon with a suspicious eye, as a two edged sword, from which not even the sacredness of friendship can secure. It is especially, I think, dreaded in women.” (400)

When it comes to Darcy, brooding is definitely a word that comes to mind; however, the few moments he does speak is usually with a quick wit that leads to contempt from those in his presence and a great dislike from those beneath him (everyone in his presence essentially). Though Elizabeth is not despised within her society, there is a contempt for her person because of her intelligence. Her own mother dislikes her the most of her children because of her lack of obedience and difference of opinions about life. Caroline Bingley continually tries to make Elizabeth appear foolish in front of Darcy, only to fail multiple times. Austen goes against what Fordyce is saying through Elizabeth’s character. Even with the struggle of being put down by those of higher social standing around here, Elizabeth remains honest and witty as ever.

Elizabeth is more intriguing because she holds herself naturally better than those around her, with an intelligence not normally associated with one of her beauty, paired with her utter honesty and candid nature, such as her interaction with Darcy when they finally dance at Bingley’s ball before winter: “I talked about the dance, and you ought to make some kind of remark on the size of the room, or the number of couples.” (123). She’s very quick on her feet but even her reactions within scenes show just how different Elizabeth is from the formal women that surround her, going against the social norms being set up by Fordyce.

One of the biggest misgivings I’ve come to witness in my life when it comes to men is the assumption that any display of emotion is an effeminate reaction. I have three older brothers and grew up in a predominantly masculine environment. Even still, my mom and I had a great effect on my brother’s sentiments. The absolute worst was watching them make fun of each other for some of the stupidest, pettiest, “girlie” reasons that completely brought down the self confidence my brother had just had. James Fordyce states the true affect of a “gentle” lifestyle perfectly in his Sermon I: “I do not mean, that the men I speak of will become feminine; but their sentiments and deportment will contract a grace.” (397). There is a sort of grace when a man has a more “feminine” inclination when interacting with a woman. It’s the idea of a man being more in touch with himself and his feelings, it is seen as weak; however, there creates this under-level of confidence that, sadly, is easily washed away by ridicule. Mr. Bingley, more prominently than other characters within the novel, proves this sentiment, his care for Jane during her sickness and constant attention of her faculty when in the same room evidence enough.