Feminism and the New Woman in the Gilbert & Sullivan Operas
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Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 2012-12-07 Feminism and the New Woman in the Gilbert & Sullivan Operas Heather Dawn Zurcher Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the Music Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Zurcher, Heather Dawn, "Feminism and the New Woman in the Gilbert & Sullivan Operas" (2012). Theses and Dissertations. 3537. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/3537 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Feminism and the New Woman in the Gilbert & Sullivan Operas Heather D. Zurcher A thesis submitted to the faculty of Brigham Young University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Steven P. Johnson, Chair Brian C. Harker Geralyn A. Giovannetti School of Music Brigham Young University December 2012 Copyright © 2012 Heather D. Zurcher All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT Feminism and the New Woman in the Gilbert & Sullivan Operas Heather D. Zurcher School of Music, BYU Master of Arts The operas by playwright W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan have been considered some of the most popular and successful pieces of musical theatre in the English language. While their joint creative output neared perfection, Gilbert and Sullivan’s working relationship was fraught with conflict. The two men’s opposing personalities led them to favor disparate styles and work towards different goals. However, the ability to balance contrasting tones, such as sarcasm and sympathy, resulted in their overwhelming success. I analyze this “winning formula” by looking at the influence of feminism, especially the “New Woman” literary movement, on the works of Gilbert & Sullivan. Gilbert frequently used common female stereotypes and gave his female characters humorous yet demeaning flaws that kept the audience from fully admiring them. Sullivan, on the other hand, countered Gilbert’s derisive attitude by composing sophisticated music for the female characters, granting emotional depth and a certain level of respectability. The struggle between Gilbert’s mocking tone and Sullivan’s empathetic music led to the men’s ultimate success. I examine Gilbert’s female characters, explore the counteractive effect of Sullivan’s music, and analyze Princess Ida—their opera most directly related to the New Woman—in depth. Keywords: Gilbert & Sullivan, the New Woman, Victorian feminism, Princess Ida ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my graduate committee chair, Dr. Steven Johnson, for allowing and even encouraging me to pursue my interest in a “lighter” musical genre and for opening my eyes to the possibilities for research and writing. I am also grateful to Dr. Brian Harker and Dr. Geralyn Giovannetti for participating on my graduate committee and giving excellent advice on this thesis as well as influencing my education in countless other ways. Lastly, I must thank my wonderful husband and my parents for their constant support and encouragement. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: The “New Woman” Movement in Victorian England .................................................. 1 Feminism in the Victorian Era ................................................................................ 2 The New Woman Movement ................................................................................ 13 Chapter 2: Gilbert’s Female Characters ........................................................................................ 23 The Elderly Spinster ............................................................................................. 25 The “Feather-Brain” .............................................................................................. 31 The Respectable but Flawed ................................................................................. 35 Chapter 3: A Winning Formula: Sullivan’s Contribution ............................................................. 57 The Working Relationship of Gilbert & Sullivan ................................................. 57 Characterization in Sullivan’s Music .................................................................... 66 Chapter 4: Princess Ida ................................................................................................................. 82 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................. 104 Appendix A ............................................................................................................................. 108 iv 1. The “New Woman” Movement in Victorian England England’s Victorian Era, spanning from roughly the 1840s to the end of the century, exhibited an increased interest in women’s rights. While the issue of feminism had existed for centuries, it rose to the surface of England’s political and journalistic battles at this time. Victorian feminists fought against stereotypes and deep-rooted traditions. Moreover, men were not their only adversaries; most women remained neutral to the feminist cause, and some actively opposed it, including Queen Victoria. The issues surrounding the Victorian feminist movement provoked diverse responses in most forms of literature as well as from people of all different classes and occupations. By the end of the nineteenth century, British playwright W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan had won fame and success with their fourteen collaborative operas. It is no surprise that most of their operas suggest influence from feminist issues. The chart in Appendix A shows a timeline of Gilbert and Sullivan’s active years alongside a timeline of political acts involving female issues. Gilbert’s and Sullivan’s formative years and years of collaboration coincide with a heavy period of activity for women activists. Women issues surely permeated newspapers, journals, and pamphlets as well as drawing room conversation among the middle class, to which both men belonged. Naturally, the artists drew from these social and political topics for material to fuel their creative ideas. Studying the works of Gilbert & Sullivan through the lens of feminism reveals fundamental differences in the two men’s artistic styles, which stem from their contrasting personalities. Gilbert, the more sarcastic and satiric of the two, used feminist issues primarily to influence his plots and characters in a mocking or humorous way. Sullivan, who leaned towards 1 sympathy and emotion, frequently counteracted Gilbert’s derisive tone by writing serious music for otherwise humorous female characters. I would argue that the balance between mockery and sympathy created by the two men is the very reason their works have endured with such lasting popularity. Gilbert provided the signature humor that characterized the duo while Sullivan provided the humanity, making the stories and characters more believable than most light operas. It will be helpful to begin with an overview of the major issues surrounding women’s rights in the Victorian Era. I will also discuss the New Woman literary movement, which shared many of the fundamental ideas of the woman’s movement but had different goals and methods of spreading the opinions of its members. Although the women’s movement had a more indirect influence than the New Woman movement, which provided literary material for direct satire, both movements heavily influenced the operas of Gilbert & Sullivan. Feminism in the Victorian Era One of the main issues for Victorian feminists1 was the “sexual double standard.” This term referred to the social assumption that women should be held to a higher moral standard than men. Eugenia Palmegiano described it well when she said, “ . though judged inferior by physical and intellectual standards, women were considered morally superior, making sin 1 Barbara Caine points out that the term “feminism” did not come into use until shortly before WWI. For this reason, the criteria for categorization as a “feminist” in Victorian England varies from author to author. Many historians call women active in the women’s movement as well as all female activists and writers “feminists.” However, women who fought for a change in women’s “rights” may have been adamantly against women voting or women’s equality with men. See Barbara Caine, Victorian Feminists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992), 4–5. For the purposes of this paper, “feminist” refers to all women activists who fought for issues dealing with women. 2 somehow more sinful for them.”2 The “sexual double standard” affected many laws regarding women as well as social customs during the Victorian era. Women were expected to follow a higher law in regard to moral conduct and they often received greater consequences for neglecting their family responsibilities or violating moral codes. While most feminists agreed with the high moral expectations set for women, they did not agree with the disproportionate punishments for behaviors that also involved men. The clearest example of this was the expectation of complete chastity for single women and fidelity for married women. A respectable woman with hopes of finding a suitable husband must have no sexual blemish on her character. Society dictated that Victorian women should be beacons of virtue, free from all inappropriate