To Dissolve the Barbarous Spell”: the Significance of Female Education in Eighteenth-Century English Literature
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“TO DISSOLVE THE BARBAROUS SPELL”: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FEMALE EDUCATION IN EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY ENGLISH LITERATURE Emily M. Cardwell A project submitted in partial fulfillment of graduating from the Ashbrook Scholar Program and Academic Honors Program at Ashland University. May 2017 Faculty Mentor: Dr. Hilary Donatini, Associate Professor of English Additional Readers: Dr. Russell Weaver, Professor of English Dr. David Foster, Professor of Political Science Cardwell i Abstract In eighteenth-century England, women were regarded as intellectually inferior to men by nature and therefore best suited for private life in the domestic sphere. This caused formal education for women to be considered inappropriate and unnecessary, and if a woman did gain access to learning, she was stereotyped as obnoxious and unfeminine. Consequently, “learned ladies” were often portrayed negatively in eighteenth-century English literature, but certain female authors rejected this convention, instead using their educated female characters to provide social commentary on the status of women. This thesis traces the development of the “learned lady” in three of these works authored by women: The Basset Table by Susanna Centlivre, Evelina by Frances Burney, and Memoirs of Emma Courtney by Mary Hays. Through an examination of the educated female character in each text, one can observe a progression in ideology: while The Basset Table, written in 1704, attempts to reconcile marriage and education, Hays uses her 1796 novel to insist that women must have options beyond marriage in order to both sustain themselves and fully exercise their intellectual potential. Working with historical texts and literary criticism to provide context for my analysis, I argue that the evolution of “the learned lady” in eighteenth-century English literature shows the significant connection and conflict between education and marriage during this time period as women began “to dissolve the barbarous spell” that caused their exclusion from the public sphere, advocating for a society in which they could become truly autonomous. Cardwell ii Table of Contents Introduction......................................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1: Historical Context..........................................................................................................5 Chapter 2: The Basset Table..........................................................................................................18 Chapter 3: Evelina..........................................................................................................................29 Chapter 4: Memoirs of Emma Courtney........................................................................................40 Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................52 Works Cited...................................................................................................................................56 Author’s Biography.......................................................................................................................58 Cardwell 1 Introduction Approximately two years before her first novel was published, Mary Hays began a regular correspondence with William Godwin, a prominent eighteenth-century writer. While Godwin had primarily intended to instruct Hays in philosophical matters through their exchanges, Hays soon began to use their letters as a platform to communicate her own ideas, most notably those concerning the state of women in English society. Hays was an unmarried woman who could not find meaningful employment to sustain herself, and she often expressed frustration about her situation in her letters to Godwin, who suggested that she might attempt writing a novel. Taking Godwin’s advice, Hays began to develop her first novel, Memoirs of Emma Courtney, drawing heavily on her own experiences and letters to Godwin (Luria 527). It is important to note that Hays’ reflections on her unfortunate status as an educated single woman in eighteenth-century England play a significant role in the text—her protagonist faces the same crisis as she finds herself unable to live autonomously given societal constraints for women. Like Hays, Emma often laments her circumstances and those of women in general when writing to her Godwin-like figure, Mr. Francis; she wonders why women “suffer ourselves to be confined within a magic circle, without daring, by a magnanimous effort, to dissolve the barbarous spell?” (Hays 32) The reader understands that Hays is making this inquiry along with Emma, frustrated with the inability to live a meaningful life in the public sphere due to the expectation that women should dwell in quiet domesticity. However, throughout the eighteenth century, it can be seen that certain women authors, including Hays herself, do in fact make strides toward the dissolution of “the barbarous spell” of female confinement through the message they present regarding the educated woman, a character type known as the “learned lady,” in their works. In this thesis, I trace the progression of a radical train of thought regarding female education and the Cardwell 2 role of women that took place in the eighteenth century, which culminated in the assertion that opportunities must be available for women outside the private sphere in order to provide them with the means to exercise their intellectual capabilities and live independently. I begin with an examination of popular thought in the eighteenth century concerning the propriety of female education. It was widely agreed that the intellect of a woman was naturally inferior to that of a man, best suiting her for a quiet and private life in the home. Since a woman’s future could only involve marriage and family life, the formal education available to men in subjects such as philosophy and the sciences was deemed inappropriate and unnecessary for women. Instead of engaging in these useless studies, the conduct books and other prominent writers of the time recommended that a woman be trained in the “polite social accomplishments” of dancing, music, art, and languages in order to be pleasant and agreeable hostesses in their domestic realm. After establishing this historical framework, I transition into an analysis of my first primary text, The Basset Table by Susanna Centlivre, in order to demonstrate how an educated female character is presented early in the eighteenth century. The “learned lady” depicted in this 1704 play is Valeria, a dedicated scientist facing an undesirable marriage. She is ultimately married to a man who supports her scholarly pursuits, revealing Centlivre’s position that an educated woman is not unmarriageable—she too can find a suitable match and fulfill the societal expectation of marriage. The character of Valeria is often reduced to a caricature of Mary Astell, who proposed a monastic school for women in her 1694 treatise A Serious Proposal to the Ladies, but I conclude that Valeria’s character serves a larger purpose in the text by allowing Centlivre to comment on the compatibility of female education and marriage. Cardwell 3 As I continue to trace the progression of this character type, I examine the character of Mrs. Selwyn, the “learned lady” presented in Frances Burney’s 1778 novel Evelina. Evelina’s temporary guardian is highly educated and uses her knowledge to attack the affectation of the male characters who antagonize Evelina; she also advocates on Evelina’s behalf as Evelina attempts to reunite with her father. Although Burney does not explicitly endorse Mrs. Selwyn’s conduct, which is often obnoxious and unfeminine, she is able to use her character to explore the possibilities for an educated and unmarried woman to participate in public life, suggesting that there may be options for women outside marriage and the domestic realm. The final work examined in this thesis is Hays’ 1796 novel Memoirs of Emma Courtney, in which the educated yet penniless protagonist is forced to cope with the realities of life as a single woman in eighteenth-century England, namely inactivity and dependency. Emma is unable to engage in intellectually stimulating activity or reach a state of independence due to limited employment opportunities for women in the public sphere. She is driven into despair as she tries to cope with her situation through the fruitless, passionate pursuit of Augustus Harley, which leads to the text’s tragic conclusion. Drawing from her own experiences, Hays makes the case that women must have the choice to become self-sufficient through the exercise of their intellects in meaningful work—marriage or destitution should not be the only options available to women. My methodology is rooted in the idea that literature and history inform one another. I believe the literature produced during a particular time period is a highly valuable source for attaining a better understanding of crucial debates taking place at that moment in history. Additionally, it is my belief that the historical context I present in the first chapter is crucial for fully comprehending the literary texts I have chosen to assess, yet the primary sources used to Cardwell 4 compile this understanding of the time period are also worthy of careful analysis, which I have attempted to do. It is through the use of this framework that I have endeavored to trace a particular concept—possibilities for female