University of Kentucky UKnowledge Literature in English, British Isles English Language and Literature 1988 Demon-Lovers and Their Victims in British Fiction Toni Reed Ohio State University Click here to let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Thanks to the University of Kentucky Libraries and the University Press of Kentucky, this book is freely available to current faculty, students, and staff at the University of Kentucky. Find other University of Kentucky Books at uknowledge.uky.edu/upk. For more information, please contact UKnowledge at [email protected]. Recommended Citation Reed, Toni, "Demon-Lovers and Their Victims in British Fiction" (1988). Literature in English, British Isles. 21. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_english_language_and_literature_british_isles/21 DEMON-LOVERS AND THEIR VICTIMS IN BRITISH FICTION This page intentionally left blank DEMON-LOVERS AND THEIR VICTIMS IN BRITISH FICTION TONI REED THE UNIVERSITY PRESS OF KENTUCKY Copyright © 1988 by The University Press of Kentucky Paperback edition 2009 The University Press of Kentucky Scholarly publisher for the Commonwealth, serving Bellarmine University, Berea College, Centre College of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University, The Filson Historical Society, Georgetown College, Kentucky Historical Society, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, Transylvania University, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Western Kentucky University. All rights reserved. Editorial and Sales Offices: The University Press of Kentucky 663 South Limestone Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40508-4008 www.kentuckypress.com Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN 978-0-8131-9290-1 (pbk: acid-free paper) This book is printed on acid-free recycled paper meeting the requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence in Paper for Printed Library Materials. Manufactured in the United States of America. Member of the Association of American University Presses CONTENTS Preface vii 1. Woman Wailing for Her Demon-Lover! 1 2. Demons as Lovers 20 3. liThe Demon Lover" Ballad 35 4. The Motif in British Fiction 54 5. Demon-Lovers and Their Victims 93 Appendix A. Child Ballad Texts 118 Appendix B. Davis Ballad Texts 133 Appendix C. Miscellaneous Ballad Texts 144 Notes 151 Works Cited 155 Index 163 Subtlety stalks in your eyes, your tongue knows what it knows. I want your secrets-I will have them out. Seasick, I drop into the sea. ADRIENNE RICH PREFACE It is a widely accepted truism in today's world that women have never had the same degree of political, economic, and social power that men have enjoyed. Thanks to an unwav­ ering vision, a belief in God-given equality, and hard work on behalf of countless women and men, we are beginning to see the faintest traces of acceptance of the revolutionary idea that women are as capable and deserving as men. But we must still live with the legacy of the literature of oppression, designed to communicate the same underlying message over and over again, a message born of fear-that women must be controlled or destroyed so they will not be­ come powerful and threatening to men. By looking at certain works of British fiction as if we had never read them before­ and without the anxiety of influence that dogs any critic bold enough to reinterpret the writings of Emily Bronte, Thomas Hardy, and other distinguished British writers-we may dis­ cern a pattern I call the demon-lover conflict. The demon-lover conflict is basically a struggle between misogynist and female victim resulting in her psychological or physical destruction. This pervasive pattern in literature reflects a social reality, one that we participants in that reality have not had the collective eyes to see and rebel against until the last twenty years or so. Historically, as long as women complied with the wishes of the dominant male-defined cul­ ture, they were safe. But women who deviated from their established and expected roles in the father-authored, hus- viii Preface band-authored, son-authored, preacher-authored drama of life extricated themselves from the possibility of acceptance, love, support, and understanding supposedly found through conformity to prescribed "feminine" roles. They were, in fact, uniformly condemned and often destroyed. Demon-lovers in these stories willfully victimize women who have stepped outside the accepted perimeters of society in some way; meta­ phorically, both seduction and destruction take place in soli­ tary places outside of civilization. Demon-lover tales all dramatize the social control imposed on women; these stories, furthermore, warn women against crossing the very distinct boundaries to which society conspires to hold them fast, lest all hell break loose. These boundaries-the tacitly agreed-to glue that has held society in check for generations-today are beginning to give way, thanks mainly to the impetus provided by the early women's movement and the Civil Rights move­ ment and carried forward by millions of women, men, and children who have committed themselves to recovering from the damage that false notions and lies can do. I would like to thank countless people who helped me directly or indirectly in the preparation of this book. First, I would like to acknowledge the invaluable assistance provided by Professors Daniel R. Barnes, Barbara Hill-Rigney, and Ar­ nold Shapiro, who helped to shape the spirit of this work in its early stages. Without their support, encouragement, and astute criticism, this book would not have been possible. I also thank several other colleagues and friends for their in­ terest in my project and for believing in my ability to lay bare the demon-lover conflict: Morris Beja, Richard Martin, John Gabel, Ruth Ann Hendrickson, Ann Hall, Pat Naulty, Cory Dillon, and Cheryl Carter. For their help, both professionally and personally, I am deeply indebted. To my mother, Margaret Ann Reed, and my father, John Reed, lowe my sincerest gratitude for creating the kind of environment in which I could make up my own mind about the way the world is; and to my children, Kelly and Chris­ topher Bates, lowe my thanks for their constant support and interest in this project. Preface ix I would especially like to thank the Midwest Modern Lan­ guage Association and the University Press of Kentucky for co-sponsoring a book contest into which I entered my manu­ script. MMLA and the Press are serving the world of schol­ arship in a highly commendable way. Finally, I wish I could find the words to thank hundreds of people encountered over the years who have gently, or suddenly, or painfully, or unknowingly ripped off my blinders or demanded that I stop lying. To these people, and some of you know who you are, I will forever be grateful. I lovingly dedicate this book to my mother, my first lan­ guage teacher. This page intentionally left blank ONE Woman Wailing for Her Demon-Lover! Like one, that on a lonesome road Doth walk in fear and dread, And having once turned round walks on, And turns no more his head; Because he knows, a frightful fiend Doth close behind him tread. COLERIDGE, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner The body of literature for any period of history reflects, in part, the fears, conflicts, and ethical concerns inherent in the culture which produces its novelists and poets. Although the literary works of any particular century tend to reflect the social mores of that period and are therefore tied to historical interpretation, certain themes in fiction transcend the cultural milieu in which the works were formed. Certain thematic patterns or motifs continue to appear in literature throughout time, patterns that may in fact be traced from the earliest Greek myths through the Bible and influential works of fiction to popular literature and contemporary films. Works of literature, including the earliest known forms of orally transmitted folklore, tend to repeat a finite number of plots or stories which captivate audiences generation after generation. In the same way children enjoy hearing the same fairy tales told over and over again, most people respond to tales that resemble others they have heard or have read before; familiarity with stories fosters personal identification, and identification by audiences leads to repetition of the same 2 Demon-Lovers and Their Victims basic plot formulas over time. This study concerns itself with one specific narrative scheme which has been repeated since the beginning of literary history, yet one that has been largely ignored by scholars and literary critics: the demon-lover motif. 1 Briefly, this motif conveys in an exaggerated fashion an aggressive man's attempts to dominate and destroy a na­ ive, impressionable woman and demonstrates also her lack of perception and foresight. The struggle takes on mythical proportions, in part because of the larger-than-life and often supernatural features of demon-lover figures, and in part be­ cause of the frequency with which the tale is told. One of the earliest literary expressions of the demon-lover motif is found in "The Demon Lover," a popular ballad sung in Scotland and England as early as the mid-seventeenth cen­ tury. In the ballad, a spirit or a cloven-footed revenant lover destroys his former mistress through supernatural means as revenge for her unfaithfulnsss to him while he has been away. In literary works as well, authors typically attribute demon­ lover figures with supernatural traits that distinguish them from other characters. In fiction, the supernatural quality of the demon-lover-the mysterious charm and the perverse, dangerous impulses-establishes a direct parallel to the ear­ lier ballad. The women in these works are both repelled by and attracted to the supernatural character of their demon­ lovers. Very often the dark figures are compared to Satan, a powerful supernatural being, or are said to possess demonic qualities, and their behavior seems excessively cruel, even diabolic at times.