Title Two Fallen Women in Thomas Hardy's Poems : "The Woman I Met"

Two Fallen Women in Thomas Hardy's Poems : "The Woman I Title Met" and "The Chapel Organist" Author(s) NAGAMORI, Akemi Citation 人間・環境学 (2017), 26: 229-238 Issue Date 2017-12-20 URL http://hdl.handle.net/2433/235186 Right ©2017 京都大学大学院人間・環境学研究科 Type Departmental Bulletin Paper Textversion publisher Kyoto University 人間・環境学，第 26 巻，229-238 頁，2017 年 229 Two Fallen Women in Thomas Hardyʼs Poems : “TheWomanIMet” and “The Chapel Organist” Akemi NAGAMORI Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501 Japan Summary Among the most prominent “fallen women” described in Thomas Hardyʼs works is Tess in Tess of the d’Urbervilles (1891). Fanny Robin in Far From the Madding Crowd (1874) andSue Brideheadin Jude the Obscure (1895) are also recognizedas “fallen-women” characters. Such women promptedharsh criticism from Victorian readers, on account of the stark description of the “fallen woman” in the novels. Hardyʼs poems also deal with “fallen women.” Discussion of his poetry in a large number of studies on his major poetic works often tendsto be concernedwith his pessimistic view of life, influencedby Schopenhauer, his “philosophy of life,” or his attitudestowardGodandChristianity. Therefore, by focusing on the two protagonistsʼ femininity of “The Woman I Met” and “The Chapel Organist,” this paper will pay attention to the significance of these fallen-women poems written in Hardyʼs later years and present the poetʼs view of a woman, especially of the two fallen womenʼs conscience that associates them with Christianity. mindto commit suicidein the presence of people in the Introduction chapel immediately after playing the instrument for the last time. Among the most prominent “fallen women” There have been a large number of studies on described in Thomas Hardyʼs works is Tess in Tess of Hardyʼs major poetic works, such as his elegies for his the d’Urbervilles (1891). Fanny Robin in Far From wife Emma and The Dynasts (1904-08). Discussion the Madding Crowd (1874) andSue Brideheadin of his poetry in such studies often tends to be Jude the Obscure (1895) are also recognizedas concernedwith his pessimistic view of life, influenced “fallen-women” characters. Such women prompted by Schopenhauer, or his “philosophy of life.” There harsh criticism from Victorian readers, on account of are some studies of his any poetic work that does not the stark description of the “fallen woman” in the include his elegies for Emma or The Dynasts, yet they novels. Hardyʼs poems also deal with “fallen are generally discussed by focusing on Hardyʼs women.” In “The Woman I Met,” the female ghost of attitudestowardGodandChristianity, the way in a former prostitute meets a man for whom she has which Hardy treats Christianity, and the protagonistʼs continuedto have affection after her death,and religious mindin his poems. For instance, in “Hardyʼs confesses her true feelings towardhim. In “The ʻReligious Twilight, ʼ” Norman Arkans argues that Chapel Organist,” a woman with a passion for music some of Hardyʼs poems, including “The Woman I plays andsings hymns in a chapel, but she is obligedto Met,” are a unique version of the Christian Myth, quit the position due to rumors about her immorality distinct from his religious verse in general, and that the andprostitution. The mournful organist makes up her gospel strengthens the pattern of “humanism” in his 230 Akemi NAGAMORI religious thought (413). youth, brutally left behindby her seducer,andits Taking into consideration the factors mentioned roaming as a social ostracism who dies at childbirth” above, by focusing on the two protagonistsʼ femininity (61). in the two poems, this paper will present the poetʼs Tess in Tess of the d’Urbervilles is also presentedas view of women, especially the fallen womenʼs a fallen-woman character anda victim of her own fate. conscience andhow this is associatedwith She is initially an undefiled, pure woman, but she is Christianity. First, Hardyʼs treatment of the theme of then rapedby Alec dʼUrbervilleat The Chase (Tess fallen women will be analyzedin Part 1. Part 2, then, 57-58, “Maiden No More”) andbears an illegitimate considers the female protagonist in “The Woman I child, whom she baptizes herself (Tess 74).When Met” andthat of “The Chapel Organist.” In the conversion to Methodism urges Alec to apologize for former, the ghost of the former prostitute speaks to the his past behavior, she refers to their former relationship man, while the latter presents a fallen woman, the thus : “Scamp that I was to foul that innocent life! organist, who narrates her own story ; these poems are The whole blame was mine―the whole unconvention- thus mainly, or indeedwholly,constructedwith the al business of our time at Trantridge” (Tess 247). womanʼs voice. Paying attention to the significance of The subtitle of the novel, “A Pure Woman,” connotes these poems written in Hardyʼs later years, the final her unblemishedmentality throughout the story, even part analyzes his observations as a poet anddramatist. after she is rapedandbecomes a fallen woman. Her past sexual relationship with Alec continues to torment 1．Hardyʼs Treatment of her after she falls in love with Angel Clare. Her tragic Fallen-Women Characters story originates in sexual intercourse with Alec, which makes her a fallen woman, andshe is later obligedto Thomas Hardy produced some prominent fall- consider cohabitation as his mistress. In Tess,as en-women characters in his novels, such as Fanny Auerbach indicates, Tess is passive in the affair with Robin in Far From the Madding Crowd (1874), Tess Alec (169). The heroine is depicted as a helpless in Tess of the d’Urbervilles (1891),andSueinJude innocent country girl, who is a victim of the Victorian the Obscure (1895).InFar from the Madding Crowd, patriarchal society andits social laws, while her lack of Fanny Robin, seducedandabandonedmercilesslyby independence triggers the tragedy that results in her Troy, is “an emblem of victimizedwomanhoodstrug- murder of Alec and her execution. gling to the poorhouse” (Ingham 136). Although she The character of Sue Bridehead in Jude is not is not the protagonist of the novel, Fanny plays an seducedlikeFanny andTess, but is still consideredone important role by interrupting the marriage between of Hardyʼs fallen-women characters in that she has an the heroine, Bathsheba, andTroy. When the latter illicit relationship with Jude and bears two illegitimate falls in love with Bathsheba, he confides his liking for children by him, while also raising Little Father Time, a stronger woman to Boldwood ; “she [Bathsheba] the childof Judeʼsfirst wife, Arabella (Jude 265, has a will―not to say a temper, andI shall be a mere 270). Little Father Timeʼs murder of her children and slave to her. I coulddoanything with poor Fanny subsequent suicide, however, trigger Sueʼs return to Robin” (FFMC 180). Fanny Robin eventually dies her oppressive matrimony with Phillotson (Part Sixth, giving birth to Troyʼs child (FFMC 246). N. S. Saleh Chapter 3). Like Tess, Sue also experiences a “fallen” andPyeaam Abbasi argue that Fannyʼs characteristics state as a result of her sexual relationship with Jude. are typical of a fallen-woman character : “Hardy MacPike, focusing on the fecundity of women and successfully declares Fanny Robin as the conventional their sexual freedom, argues that Tess and Sue reflect portrayal of the fallen woman who is seduced in her Hardyʼs social representation of “natural consequen- Thomas Hardyʼs Two Fallen-Women Poems 231 ces” (60). Fanny andTess, as mentionedabove, are Words in Various Moods and Metres (1928).In depictedasseducedorsocially corruptedby men, Moments of Vision, fallen-women characters appear in while Sue in contrast chooses a “fallen” state in pursuit the two poems, “Timing Her” and “The Statue of of romantic love. In spite of her situation following Liberty.” In the seventh volume, Human Shows, “A the rape by Alec, Tess tries to pursue romantic love for HurriedMeeting ” portrays love between two people of Angel, like Sue. Both of these heroines in Hardyʼs differentclasses, andis classifiedas a fallen -woman later novels are therefore not merely victims of poem. The eighth collection, Winter Words, published Victorian morality ; rather, by delineating these around ten months after Hardy died on 11 January characters in such a way in his novels, Hardy presents 1928, includes seven fallen-women poems : “Reluc- two types of fallen women in the Victorian period. tant Confession,”“The Whalerʼs Wife,”“The Dead Hardy in fact wove the social issue of fallen women Bastard,”“The Brother,”“A Practical Woman,”2) into his poems at an earlier stage, before he produced “Burning the Holly,” and “The Balladof Loveʼs the fallen women characters in his novels. “The Skeleton.” Notably, all of the fallen-women charac- RuinedMaid, ” for example, in his secondcollection of ters presentedin this last collection are ruinedas a poems, Poems of the Past and the Present (1901),was result of men breaking off their engagements. These written in 1866, one year before Hardy wrote The Poor women are corruptednot by their own will, but as a Man and the Lady, his first novel that was never result of being seduced by men. By contrast, in the published. This pastoral poem with a comic tone takes sixth collection of poems Late Lyrics and Earlier,the the form of a conversation between ʼMelia andher two protagonists in “The Woman I Met” and “The innocent country friend, portraying ʼMeliaʼs deteriora- Chapel Organist” are obligedto practice prostitution tion andher friendʼsenvy for ʼMeliaʼs transformation andbecome fallen dueto their poverty. Taking into into an urban lady. The poem is composed of six consideration that the two poems treat the theme of quatrains, andeach stanza endswith ʼMeliaʼs using the fallen women as prostitutes, “The Woman I Met” and word “ruin (ed)” : “O didnʼt you know Iʼd been “The Chapel Organist” are dealt with in this paper in ruined?”1), “Yes : thatʼs how we dress when weʼre order to explore the significance of depicting fallen ruined” (8), “Some polish is gainedwith oneʼs ruin ” women in poetry who choose their own path in (12), “We never do work when weʼre ruined” (16), Victorian society.

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