Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations Fall 12-20-2019 Troubling the Water: Dismantling the Ideology of Separate Spheres Lisa Weddell Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Part of the Literature in English, North America Commons, Literature in English, North America, Ethnic and Cultural Minority Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Weddell, L. (2019). Troubling the Water: Dismantling the Ideology of Separate Spheres (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1858 This Immediate Access is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. TROUBLING THE WATER: DISMANTLING THE IDEOLOGY OF SEPARATE SPHERES A Dissertation Submitted to McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts Duquesne University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Lisa L. Weddell December 2019 Copyright by Lisa L. Weddell 2019 TROUBLING THE WATER: DISMANTLING THE IDEOLOGY OF SEPARATE SPHERES By Lisa L. Weddell Approved May 13, 2019 ________________________________ __________________________________ Dr. Faith Barrett Dr. Laura Engel Associate Professor of English Professor of English (Committee Chair) (Committee Member) ________________________________ Dr. Thomas Kinnahan Associate Professor of English (Committee Member) ________________________________ ________________________________ Dr. James C. Swindal Dr. Greg Barnheisel Dean, McAnulty Graduate School of Arts Chair, Department of English and Science Professor of English iii ABSTRACT TROUBLING THE WATER: DISMANTLING THE IDEOLOGY OF SEPARATE SPHERES By Lisa L. Weddell December 2019 Dissertation supervised by Dr. Faith Barrett This dissertation examines nineteenth century U.S. women’s maritime writings to re-evaluate and more accurately represent the roles women played in society. I contend that the nineteenth century ship is a microcosm of the United States and women’s sea experiences and maritime writings reveal their lived experiences and the visible roles they played in their relationships and in public politics. Women’s maritime writings, I argue, challenge ideologies of “True Womanhood” that define women as submissive and passive. Instead, these texts demonstrate how women equally contributed to establishing national identity in the United States by defining appropriate gender performance for men and women. My dissertation begins by discussing working class male sailors (and women who wrote about seafarers), then discusses women who passed as sailors, and concludes by examining middle-class women who accompanied their husbands to sea. I have iv chosen this structure to reflect the hierarchical setting of a ship and also antebellum society. In Chapter One, I analyze Olaudah Equiano’s The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, The African, Horace Lane’s The Wandering Boy, Inconsiderate Sailor, and Result of Inconsideration, and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin; reading these texts, I contend that failed performances of the “Christian Gentleman” are tied to the moral decay of antebellum society, such as the institution of slavery. In Chapter Two, I examine Catharine Maria Sedgwick’s “The Chivalric Sailor” and Emma Cole’s The Life and Sufferings of Miss Emma Cole; through these texts, I argue that women passing as seafarers model appropriate performances of masculinity and femininity and define U.S. citizenship through successful gender performances. Finally, in my last chapter, I consider the sea journals of Lucy Kendall, Margaret Fraser, and Hattie Atwood; analyzing these materials, I claim that women’s “private” maritime writings illustrate the power, independence, agency, and equality women wielded in their positions as wives, mothers, and daughters and how women’s roles progressed throughout the course of the nineteenth century. v DEDICATION For the Heiry women: my Nana, Rita Heiry; my mother, Lynn Weddell; my aunts, Rita Yost and Jamie Dillon; my sister, Lauren Shmalberg; my sister-in-law Lauren Weddell; my niece, Lillian Weddell; and my cousin, Casey Dillon. These women have taught me to be strong, to work hard, and to be fiercely independent. I would not be who I am today without them, and this dissertation would not exist without their continued encouragement, love, and support. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am indebted to my community of scholars at Duquesne University, the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Chatham University. This project would not be possible without the support and encouragement I received from these universities. First, I would like to thank my dissertation director, Dr. Faith Barrett. Through my program at Duquesne, Faith has modeled what it means to be a scholar and a teacher in academia. Her courses are filled with engaging and dynamic conversations, and she always provides insightful feedback. I have left her classes and our meetings feeling re- energized and re-invigorated about my research. She breathes new life and excitement into researching, writing, and teaching nineteenth century literature in the United States. I am also thankful to Dr. Thomas Kinnahan and Dr. Laura Engel, the other members on my dissertation committee, who have provided kind and constructive feedback throughout my program. Tom and Laura are brilliant scholars, and the material we covered in their classes during my Ph.D. coursework has largely shaped my research project and my approach to gender performance in the nineteenth century. This project would also not be possible without the support I received from my MA advisor, Dr. Todd Thompson at IUP. Early in my MA program, Dr. Thompson encouraged my interest in maritime literature and nineteenth-century American literature. After the completion of my MA program, Dr. Thompson continued to support my research and development as a scholar. Finally, I am indebted to my mentor and advisor at Chatham University, Dr. William Lenz, who first introduced me to nineteenth century American and maritime literature. When I took his American Survey course as a vii nineteen-year-old marketing major, I had no idea that it would drastically change the direction of my life. His excitement and enthusiasm for research and literature is contagious. While my community of scholars have informed my interests, research, and dissertation approaches, this project would not be possible without the love and support of my family. My parents, Lynn and Bruce Weddell, have always believed in me and encouraged me to follow my own path. From keeping my house stalked with chocolate, to helping cover the upfront costs of research trips so I could financially survive until I was reimbursed, to traveling with me when I presented my research internationally, they have helped me achieve my goals. My siblings, Eric and Lauren, are also an important part of my life, and their continued support through the process means the world to me. Whenever I doubt myself, they remind me that “I’m the f***ing s***.” Their encouragement has helped me through some of the toughest days. I am also grateful to my partner, Patrick Dalsass, who came into my life three years into my Ph.D. program and for some reason decided to stay. He is patient, understanding, and supportive, and I am grateful to the sacrifices he has made while I finish my project and program. I always thought a serious relationship in graduate school would be a distraction, but he inspires me to work harder and to be better in every aspect of my life. Finally, my dog Dickens has been my constant companion through graduate school. Whether I am writing or reading, he is always by my side. His playfulness is often a welcomed distraction and a reminder that life is dull with all work and no play. viii He has also taught me if the worst thing in the world is muddy paws on a clean floor, then life is pretty good. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iv Dedication .......................................................................................................................... vi Acknowledgement ............................................................................................................ vii Introduction ..........................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1: The Enslaved Sailor, The Working Class Sailor, and Stowe’s Legree ............20 Chapter 2: The Female Sailor: The Perfect Woman ..........................................................72 Chapter 3: Nineteenth-Century Middle Class Women: Revisiting the Archive, Re- evaluating Their Lives………………………………………………………………….116 Afterward: Moving Forward, Looking Back…………………………………………...158 Works Cited…………………………………………………………………………….178 x Maritime Women: An Absent Presence I trace my interest in maritime literature and history to my ancestor, Captain James Weddell, who discovered the “Weddell Sea” in the nineteenth century during the competition between the United States and European superpowers to discover and claim a southern, arctic land mass. Although he likely kept a journal or sea log about his experiences at sea, it did not survive and I have often wondered about his life as a sailor, captain,