East Tennessee State University Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University Electronic Theses and Dissertations Student Works 12-2004 Sexuality and Power in Elizabeth Inchbald's A Simple Story. Michelle Martini East Tennessee State University Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd Part of the English Language and Literature Commons, and the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons Recommended Citation Martini, Michelle, "Sexuality and Power in Elizabeth Inchbald's A Simple Story." (2004). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 958. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/958 This Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Sexuality and Power in Elizabeth Inchbald’s A Simple Story ____________________ A thesis presented to the faculty of the Department of English East Tennessee State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Masters of Arts in English ____________________ by Michelle Martini December 2004 ____________________ Judith Slagle, PhD, Chair Karen Cajka, PhD Styron Harris, PhD Keywords: Inchbald, Sexuality ABSTRACT Sexuality and Power in Elizabeth Inchbald’s A Simple Story by Michelle Martini A Simple Story is controversial because of Inchbald’s seemingly conflicting statements about women’s “proper” education and because the most powerful character in the novel openly defies social norms. Miss Milner, the heroine of the first half of A Simple Story, overtly displays her sexuality and uses it to gain control of men.