Grasmere Journal- Wordsworth

The Grasmere Journal is an excellent example of Dorothy Wordsworth's talent for detail in her writing. Her writing comes across as quite romanticized as she delves into the nature around what she called home. The way she paints the picture feels almost delicate as she describes her subject. For example, the way she describes Dover Castle stands out due to the careful word choices. "...Dover Castle, which was but like the summit of the cloud--the evening star and the glory of the sky. The reflections in the water were more beautiful than the sky itself, purple waves brighter than precious stones forever melting away upon the sands" (pg. 350). The way she begins to lay the foundation for Dover castle compels us as the readers to see it in a way that makes it nearly impossible to see it any other way than as simply beautiful.
 William Wordsworth's I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud felt as if he was trying to reach the same level of detail as his sister. Upon looking at the various editions, it seemed that William was striving to reach the same style and pattern as that of Dorothy in her journal. This could be proven as how he was said to consult with his sister's works (pg. 341).
When reading Revolution and Independence, I began to see differences in the pattern  between William and Dorothy. Comparing word choice and fluidity, both have their own distinct voice in describing the world around them. Here is a excerpt from William's poem, "And with her feet she from the plashy earth raises a mist, which, glittering in the sun, runs with her all the way, wherever she doth run" (pg. 241, 21-23).  After each reading, it was easy to hear the female and male voices in each work. Dorothy's patterns and phrasing, which flowed and was almost flowery, gave a strong female presence and the voice came off clearly as a woman. William's style, which was more to the point and precise, gave a stronger masculine tone thus allowing readers to hear the voice as a man.

The Grasmere Journal
When I first starting reading this, it seemed like it was going to be a classic romantic piece. Meaning, the narrator is very sensitive to their surroundings, emotions, nature, etc. It doesn't help that the opening entry states, "My heart was so full that I could hardly speak... I sat a long time upon a stone at the margin of the lake, and after a flood of tears my heart was easier." Wordsworth is definitely in touch with her emotions and nature, which is a common aspect of romantic literature. She even takes a moment later on to recall a walk she took a few days before: "I forgot to notice one most impressive sight--it was the moon and the moonlight seen through hurrying driving clouds." The sentiment was almost too much, and I began to question the journals purpose.  However, I read the introduction and remembered it said, "she never considered herself an author," and to be totally honest, I was thinking the same thing.  But as I read deeper into the text, I started noticing the countless interactions with different townspeople, and I thought, "okay, maybe this is supposed to provide insight into daily, modern life in London?" A lot of her interactions are with people of much lower class. She comes across a lot of beggars, travelers, etc. But she also mentions notable figures like Coleridge quite often. This contrast is incredibly interesting. I also find William Wordsworth's role to be compelling. I'm not sure how popular he is during this time, but people probably enjoyed reading about his day to day life.
"Resolution and Independence"
I want to start by bringing attention to the 6th stanza, line 40: "But how can He expect that others should/ Build for him, sow for him, and at his call/ Love him, who for himself will take no heed at all?" This definitely seems like a turning point in the poem; up until this point it's full of sentiment and contemplation of nature. Then Wordsworth takes a sudden (and kind of depressing) turn. He uses the Old Man as an example of someone working their life away and never getting much in return. He also uses the Old Man to consider his own place as a poet. Line 122, "Cold, pain, and labour, and all fleshy ills;/ And mighty Poets in their misery dead." The last two lines do a really great job of pulling the entire poem together. Wordsworth is calling on God, asking him to protect his security. Meaning, "please don't ever allow me to end up like that Old Man." I think it's interesting that he first questioned God's love, but after meeting the Old Man, he decided to call on God's love for assistance.

"I wandered lonely as a Cloud"
It's interesting to the thought process behind this poem; there's an entire stanza added to the 1815 edition, but it was first published in 1807? That's a lot of years in between, so I'm curious to know why Wordsworth continued to work on it, especially since it seems like a simple poem about dancing daffodils. Line 15 (1815 edition), "A poet could not be but gay, in such a jocund company." Wordsworth also mentioned the "Poet" in the previous, so maybe there's some sort of thread behind attempting to describe a poet's feelings, sentiments, thoughts, etc.?

"To the Poor", "Washing Day" and "London's Summer Morning"

"To the Poor," by Anna Barbauld seems to be directed to the poor. "Who feel'st oppression's iron in thy soul," she explains that she understands their struggles for being born into poverty and are often conflicted with God's will. Barbauld demands that they, "Bend thy meek neck beneath the foot of power!" She is explaining that their hardships on Earth are not to be endured for long because heaven awaits and they should not worry, "Nor fear the God whom priests and kings have made." Barbauld is inspiring the poor and giving them a sense of hope by stating that the reign of God is nothing like the reign on Earth. They should keep their spirits high for what is to come.
"Washing Day" by Anna Barbauld opens up with a description of the chores that are carried out this day and the reaction to it. The opening line, "The Muses are turned gossips," puts a negative tone to the poem. Instead of women being appreciated for being creative individuals they are portrayed as, "Ye who beneath the yoke of wedlock bend." These are their duties as wives and cannot escape expectations. The poem continues to explain the stress associated with washing. Then the perspective shifts into the innocence of a child and how little she was affected by this day. Barbauld concludes with, "Earth, air, and sky, and ocean, hath its bubbles/ And verse is one of them --- this most of all." My interpretation of this last line is that there are so many little things which we tend to stress over, including our writing, but with imagination and a change of perspective we can see that its not as bad as it seems.
Mary Robinson makes, "London's Summer Morning," come alive by alluding to the reader's senses and by giving a vivid description of a typical busy morning in London. She gives us sound with the rattling milk-pail and the tinkling bell. We can visualize the mop twirl and the sultry smoke of the city. She describes London as an urban and industrialized area with many hard working citizens in it.

"Washing Day" and the Romanticization of Women's Labor

In Anna Laetitia Barbauld's "Washing Day" there seems to be a sort of romanticized whimsy or wonder ascribed the the hard domestic work of middle and lower class women. In the poem, the laborious task of washing clothes is treated as an almost joyous occasion. Even at the beginning of the poem, when the speaker talks about how much the women hate washing day, the poem seems to be making fun of it rather than sympathizing. Talking about how "to that day no peace belongs nor comfort" and how the women themselves have no "pleasant smile, nor quaint device of mirth" seems comedic in its seriousness the same way we might joke about the horrors of finals week (11-12, 14). Furthermore, the poem chastises the women for complaining when it talks about how "Saints have been calm while stretch upon the rack" but housewives are upset by rain on washing day (29). In this the poem seems to trivialize women's labor--or at the very least working-class women's labor. The whimsy comes in toward the end of the poem, when the washing is done and the speaker sits musing over soap bubbles and wondering over the washing. The buoyant bubbles seem to be given a heavenly aspect in that they float above "the sports of children and toils of men"--as if the act of washing is holy (84). Ending the poem this way makes the action of washing clothes seem like some sort of magical women's domain, which is obviously very far removed from the physical labor required in order to clean.

Walsingham Vol. IV

Volume IV, much like Desmond, ended with the sort of ending that left the main character, Walsingham, in a good position for himself, "wild with the agony of joy" (495). However, it causes the audience to question whether it was supposed to be a “happy ending” or not. The way that Walsingham is exasperating and generally awful doesn’t particularly encourage the reader to root for him, which also makes it hard to want Sidney to end up with him. She ends up losing her disguise and becoming the wife of Walsingham, who has a controlling a nature over women. In this way, Robinson lends an example of how gender roles have imprisoned Sidney; Sir Sidney had the ability to be sensible in an honorable way, to do what he wished and have any privilege that a man of the time would have. When it is revealed that Sir Sidney is a woman, she is immediately forced on Walsingham, where “the hour [arrives] when [Walsingham] must allow her a dearer title, or avoid her society for ever” (493). I think it is intentional that Robinson puts the main men of the story, Walsingham and Mr. Hanbury, to the task of deciding Sidney’s fate, and then omits any further mention of her for the final page of the novel. You’d think that there would be more references to Sidney after the big reveal and then the marriage, but instead Walsingham describes how the day has “overpaid [Walsingham] ten-fold for all the anguish [he has] hitherto experienced” (495). Again, he prioritizes his own wants and overlooks Sidney entirely. Up to this point, we have had plenty of Sidney’s guilt and emotion, but now when it seems she could be finding happiness, there is no mention of it, which is suspicious and leads the reader to believe she might not be happy at all.

I believe Walsingham is so willing to accept Sir Sidney as a woman and marry her because this whole time he has believed her to be his rival, “born to hate [Sidney] forever”, and now he feels he has “been deprived of such a pure and generous friend,” which Sidney desperately wanted to be to Walsingham (406, 493). Now that his idea of the hierarchy of gender is shattered by Lady Aubrey's admission, he must make sense of what’s happened, and his way of doing that is by marrying Sidney. By marrying her, she is forced into the societal role assigned to a woman, taking away the privileged man he had been so threatened by. This puts things back in order for him, and now he is able to control something he hadn’t been able to control before.

Walsingham, Volume IV.

One of the most prevalent themes that struck me while reading Walsingham’s fourth volume was that of the consistent irony both portrayed and enacted by the character himself, both throughout the novel as a whole and in leading to the ultimate climax of Sidney’s true gender revealed. Specifically in Volume IV, we see Walsingham more than eager to conclude that “the young lord was duped, and self-love was mortified” (379) following Lord Kencarth’s erroneous judgment of charging forth upon the wild horse and subsequent injury – a pattern of rash behavior and resulting wounds that we are far too often familiar with in context of Walsingham’s own actions. Then in attempt to converse with Isabella after his forceful meeting with Sidney in the coffee shop, Walsingham endures with much self-satisfied indifference the attacks of Mrs. Blagden, entreating her at one point to “Rail on… the dead cannot hear, and the living despise thy malice” (410) – only to turn and in the next moment himself pour forth a seemingly frivolous, emotionally-unbound entreaty to Isabella in the form of poetry. Finally, we see the culmination of Walsingham’s obstinate irony in claiming so fervently (and almost proudly) personal victimhood and suffering throughout our novel’s course, only to switch focus to a gusty lament for blindness to his cousin’s constant peril, begging for a reason as to why he had “so long been deprived of such a pure and generous friend” (493) while the reader is left to fight the urge to roll their eyes.

In the context of differences of education between genders, this irony seemed to me to ask whether we might consider Walsingham’s torment one shaped of his own making, and thus the subsequent results of such torment intentfully enacted upon those he cares for, or if his seeming blindness might be instead caused by the structure instilled by male education, reinforced by the weight of society’s expectations upon young men – who are pressured to be self-sufficient and independent in all matters. In this light, I felt it might be possible to ultimately view Walsingham as an unknowing victim of the part of himself molded by his environment, which is then carried forth by his own emotional and proud personality, even as he makes such rightfully judgment-worthy faults. 

Walsingham Volume 4

When reading volume 4, I was incredibly interested in the death scene of Amelia. For someone who seemed to care so little for her (since he loves the woman she resembles and not the woman she is) it seems almost out of character for him to have the nervous breakdown he has following her death. He isn't merely putting on a show for the benefit of other people, he disappears out to the woods to be alone in his "wilderness of despair." This moment could have been very cathartic and made a lot of sense if, pardon the crude nature of this statement, he had given a damn about Amelia before this. Walsingham consistently uses and dismisses Amelia throughout the novel, however when it comes to her death, he grows very upset. This leads to a huge dramatic moment where he visits the graves of his parents and contemplates the futility of life in a very dramatic, Walsingham-esque fashion.

Along with the thread of disliking Walsingham, his obliviousness to the whole situation is absolutely astounding. How many times does Sir Sidney have to say "I'm lying to you" for him to ask what his deceit is? When Walsingham is accused of murder and Sir Sidney and Isabella try to speak with him to ascertain his innocence, Sidney quite literally says, "I am a vile, forsworn, deceitful monster." His self absorption is consuming and quite honestly, it is lucky for Sir Sidney that Walsingham is that horrible because it makes the job of hiding her identity much easier. When he's finally told the truth, his immediate reaction is "how could I have been so foolish?" Even in this crazy situation he makes the ordeal about him. He lives in a self-centered world, and the reveal scene of Sidney's true identity is no different.

My thoughts on the self centered nature of Walsingham is that he is the manifestation of the men in Robinson's life. For most of her life she was disappointed by men such as her father, who left the family in order to run away with his mistress. The same self-centered nature seen in her father, her husband, and her multiple lovers is culminated in Walsingham.

Lord Kencarth's education

We have discussed the issue of women’s education a lot in class now. The uselessness of accomplishments, which is the focus of women’s education, and the fact that it does not prepare a women for life has been the center of a lot of those discussions. I find the character of Lord Kencarth interesting because in a lot of ways his character seems to suggest that men’s education can, in some cases, be just as useless as women’s education. Lord Kencarth is towards the top of the social rung and it can be assumed that he has had the standard education of a gentlemen. He tells Walsingham that has passed his time “hunting, racing, rowing, quizzing, queering, badgering, boxing, mumming, drinking, driving, and making love” (372).  He then explains the trouble that this way of living has lead him to and insists that though they were considered part of his education he has since broke free of them. This notion is not supported by his later actions. Lord Kencarth consistently shows a lack of judgment in almost every action that he performs and a lot of those actions reflect back to that list of occupations above. The aspects of his life that should carry some weight do not. His role in parliament is a farce and is described as his prime place to rest. Instead of taking that role seriously it is merely something that he felt he was supposed to do and his “elocution consists of monosyllables; −ayes and noes settle the affairs of the nation” (375). There is also the issue of his inability to think rational and instead lets his impulses govern his life. We see this with the horse incident and the buying of the jewel. His purchase of the pink diamond is particularly interesting to me because it shows both his lack of understanding on the value of money, which should be important, and his inability to follow rational thought instead of compulsion. Despite his education, Lord Kencarth is not actually adequately prepared for life and these incidents prove that.

Education and Harmonization

In volume four, we are introduced to the aging sailor Griffith, who, as it turns out, fathered the irascible Mrs. Blagden. The point, however, that Robinson seems to make with this character is that, at least from Walshingham's point of view, he is depicted as something of an answer to what the quintessential well-educated, ideal man is, as discussed in the very beginning of the novel with Mr. Hanbury. In terms of sympathy/sensibility, Griffith is effusive almost to a fault... almost. As Walsingham describes, "I desired him to cover his head -- he bowed, and obeyed my orders; not as if to gratify his own convenience, but with that graced complacency which seems to experience pleasure in harmonizing the feelings of others" (382-3). Harmony, I think, is key here. Having too much sensibility, being too sympathetic might by injurious to one's wellbeing, sycophantic and doting. But here, Griffith seems to have somehow mastered it. How exactly he achieved this harmonization of sensibility isn't exactly given, although the secret might be as simple as when Griffith puts it here, "There is no remedy but submission to the will of Heaven" (384). This is a kind of religious education not born out of teaching or instruction but out of something learned on one's own; an acceptance, it seems on a spiritual level, something which the boarding schools, such as attended by Isabella, seem to lack. This is in contrast to such gentrified characters as the literary group, Lady Aubrey, and later Lord Kencarth, who, although they have had educations that only privilege of their sort can afford, don't seem to know what to do with them. This is exemplified best in the case of the masquerade and the irony of the masks. A certain kind of religious devotion and faith, perhaps, might be the secret to the true education that Robinson's primary characters are in search of. Although this is all just speculation, this kind of harmonization reminds me of a passage in Plato's Republic in which Socrates concludes that the definition of justice is a well-ordered soul. Food for thought.

The Masks within Walsingham

In chapter XLIX, Walsingham attends a masquerade party accompanied by Amelia. Walsingham originally agrees to attend the party only because he believes he will discover information about Isabella. Amelia attends the party "in the simple habit of a Welsh peasant girl" which Isabella too often wore (270). Although Amelia's costume -- which originally strongly resembles Isabella -- fails to change Walsingham's opinion of her, it introduces the concept of the importance of costumes at the masquerade. The costumes of various other party goers demonstrate both an interest in Classical history and religious tensions within Robinson's time.

When Walsingham hears Isabella's voice he rushes through a crowd of masks and only notices a few particular costumes in his rush towards his love. Most of the costumes his notices are those of personified Greek goddesses or even ideas. Walsingham notices Venus and Diana along with Zephyrus who is "the west wind personified" and the muse Thalia. Robinson is demonstrating the historical interest in the Classics within her age. These women's costumes bring about the question of education. These upper class women must have been educated about Greek and Roman ideas if they were costuming them at parties. Were these women taught about Diana, who was both a strong and violent goddess of the hunt? Since these qualities of Diana were most likely not appreciated by sensible Christian women perhaps it was her virginity they respected.

The costumes Walsingham notices during his rush to Isabella also include "a blue-eyed nun" (273). This character is described to be -- most importantly Caucasian -- within the footnotes. While most nuns would have been dark eyed Italians, the English woman dressed as a nun has blue eyes which marks her separately from true nuns. If a nun habit could be worn as a costume by the Protestant English, Catholics must not have been truly respected. Catholicism is seen as a costume to the Protestants that one can simply wear to a party. The blue-eyed nun at the masquerade demonstrates the flippancy English Protestants had towards Catholics. The religious tension builds with Robinson's embedded poem on page 274. The poem alludes to Pope's "Rape of the Lock" which states that a particular cross would be kissed by both Jews and Infidels. The use of the word Infidels and the assumption that a cross could be so lovely that it would be adored by Jews demonstrates both Pope's and Walsingham's disinterest in religions outside of Protestantism.

Gender Roles and Walsingham's Emotions

This blog post is going to be a close reading of page 268-269. Immediately Walsingham’s sensibility caught my attention “my mind being much depressed on the following morning, I declined going down to breakfast.” As I have gathered from the book so far, Walsingham is an emotional person and unlike most men he seems to really dwell in whatever feeling his is feeling at the moment. Although he desires to miss the breakfast meal he is still concerned about Mrs. Woodford’s perception of him and the possibility of offending her. “Mrs. Woodford, fearing that my absence proceeded from indisposition, made me a visit of inquiry, and expressed her concern in language so friendly, that my spirits experienced a momentary renovation”. Even though Walsingham is attempting to polite and not offend, he continues to be dramatic and sulk in his sadness, “I still requested that she would excuse me at dinner, and remained in my chamber, wholly subdued by melancholy reflections”. As we have discussed in previous classes, Walsingham is very theatrical and introspective to the point of irritation for the reader and at times it is almost humorous. Continuing onto page 269, Walsingham declares that he “was grieved to find that Miss Woodford would shortly be torn from [his] society” because “she was the only solace [he] could find, alone as I was, even amidst multitudes of men”. Walsingham is displaying he is an unusual male character based on the fact that most men love the company of other men. One can infer that since Walsingham is such a sensible creature that he prefers to be around women because they are more tender than men. This brief section of the text, and really more broadly in the book’s entirety, strays far from typical gender roles as Walsingham has so many emotions which is more associated with a female gender role than that of a male gender role.

Sensibility and Gender

I find the way that Amelia's emotions are viewed by Walsingham to be interesting. At the beginning of Volume 3, Walsingham speaks of Amelia. He describes her as having, "...a beautiful sincerity... an unaffected simplicity in her manner, that invited confidence and secured esteem... eyes beaming with sensibility that bespoke the purest and most gentle affections," (261). However,  even though he seems to have an appreciation for her and her emotions at the beginning, he describes her as "too dangerous an object for me to contemplate" (265) when she was experiencing emotions. A statement that seems odd considering how emotional Walsingham himself becomes. He only says that he respects and admires her once, "...she appeared to be perfectly mistress of herself," (265). 

It seems that sensibility depends upon what a person's gender is. Walsingham goes to great lengths to express his sensibility in both his words and actions. However, when Amelia displays the same, he views it as a bad thing. 

Walsingham and Gender Differences

One of the most striking things about Vol III of Walsingham is the relationship between male and female expressions of sensibility. Walsingham is very openly sensible, and we see this in his oral and written manner of self-expression throughout the novel. However it comes across to the reader aside, in the novel Walsingham is still viewed as a man of temperance and commanding some level of respect. However, Amelia's outward display of sensibility is looked down upon by Walsingham.

After it is revealed that a former tenant of Mrs Woodford will be taking up residence once again with them and that it is he who will be taking Amelia's hand in marriage at her mother's beckoning, Amelia exhibits a scene in which she is overcome with emotion- her disdain of the arranged marriage and her love for Walsingham. The next day, when Walsingham finds her composed as "perfectly mistress of herself" (pp 265), Walsingham praises her on the "sudden and commanding severity of [her] conduct" noting that now, through the change from being fraught with emotions to being calm and collected, he could "respect" and "admire" her once more (pp 265).

Walsingham says this to her after she professes her love for him- a feeling that he requites with a love for her as well. So, why is it that he wasn't able to "respect" and "admire" Amelia while in the throes of passionate expression, when he expresses himself much the same in general? I find it interesting that even though over expression of emotionality is a stereotypically female characteristic- even in this time period- it is more acceptable for a man to display sensibility than for a woman to.

Walsingham Volume II

The most striking argument posed by Mary Robinson in volume II of Walsingham is in the plight of the female literary writer and the reception and critique of their works. In chapter 39, Robinson presents us with the reunion of Walsingham to Mrs. Woodford who recalls the trials of her literary career and details the many obstacles obscuring the path of female literary progression. Mrs. Woodford assumes the mantle of "a candidate for literary honors"following a seemingly positive reception from her late husband and her "good-natured friends, who hoped to witness the downfall of her ambition." For though Mrs. Woodford's writings had previously been reviewed by her associates with "the honeyed cup of flattery... in private circles of hospitality, [her work] was dashed with the bitter gall of envy, when publicly demanded." Robinson seems to condemn the female critics particularly, who seem to dismiss female works stemming from jealousy, rather then attempting to decode or decipher any literary merit therein. Robinson illuminates these unjust intentions by stating "Reviewers are but mortals. There are such beings as wives, sisters, and mistresses: there are pretenders to literary honors, who cannot endure the superiority which they envy; who entertain...Prejudice; and who, being invested with the supreme honors of criticism, wield the pen with little mercy." Robinson continues cataloguing the adversity faced by female writers through Mrs. Woodford's various attempts at obtaining literary fame. Mrs. Woodford attempts again and again to have her work published fairly but is continuously cut short either by "the publisher, being menaced with a prosecution, suppressed the sale" of her works or in the case of her satyrical poem when the object of which her poem "was meant to satirize was permitted to review it; and its dying speech was published." Despite changing the medium of her publication or switching rhetorical methods Mrs. Woodford's literary genius is subdued and kept in the shallows of literary reception, when in fact, it seemed able to tread the very depths of scholarly debate. Every aspect of literary practice pursued by Mrs. Woodford appears followed by the "demon of Envy" or reviewed with a "triumphant tyranny which deals out injustice where impartiality ought to hold the even scale." Robinson argues continuously throughout the chapter for a fair reception of work based on the value of the writing and not based solely on the hand that holds the pen. She argues not only for a change in the field of literary criticism as a whole, but  for a change in the way women aid in the disenfranchisement of their fellow women, in order to obtain a hold over cultural capital and reshape the atmosphere in which female writers are received.

Robinson's Criticisms of the Literary Community

One part of volume two that I found particularly interesting began on page 215 in Robinson’s description of Mrs. Woodward. Woodward had a desire to be a well-respected in the author. Robinson’s account of Woodward’s experiences leads us to believe that Woodward was unfairly treated. We are told “…it is too frequently the case that the most polished works suffer the severity of unjustifiable condemnation, merely to gratify the spleen of individuals, who are as far removed from the glowing impulse of genius, as from the pure and gentle sensations of philanthropy.” (216)

I believe part of what this section is doing is addressing Robinson’s own critics at the time. Robinson mentions the importance of a politics in literary works at this time. One of the criticisms her contemporaries leveled at Robinson was about the political content of her work. In this very edition one of the reviewers criticizes her “false notions” (502) of French politics. Woodward publishes a sartorial poem that the public clamored to read, but her publisher was bullied into ceasing distribution.

Like many of the negative reviews that we have seen so far in our class presentations, most of the negative reviews of Robinson blame most perceived failings of her work on her sex. Robinson goes after these critics lamenting that their assaults could deprive the world of the work of those whose “…mental powers would enlighten the world…” and reminds the critics that they will be forgotten.

This whole section of volume two (215-220) is a big criticism of the methods that those in power use to deprive the public (we the readers) of sources of enlightenment.

Walsingham: Is he reliable?

Walsingham is interesting in that he is a bratty, selfish coward, in my opinion. As mentioned in class Tuesday, the novel unfolds like a Spanish novella, and the beginning of volume two effectively portrays this statement. With Walsingham having witness the exchange between Isabella and Sir Sidney, he “…rushed forward, as if bourne of supernatural power; [he] passed through the churchyard—the grave of [his] mother received [his] last agonized tear; [he] threw [himself] on [his] knees…” (page 160). I must applaud the descriptive, and extensive, word choices used by Robinson. It portrays part of Walsingham’s character; him sounding like an over dramatic child because he did not receive the toy he wanted, in this case, Isabella being stolen away from him.

When Walsingham attempts to take Isabella back using a gun, he runs, later saying in his letter to Sir Sydney, “I have resigned every prospect of bliss; I have relinquished every hope of consolation that fancy formed, or ripening reason cherished; I have condemned my proud and aspiring heart to an eternal penance” (page 168).  Walsingham is upset over the loss of fortune now that he surrendered Isabella to Sir Sidney. Walsingham found comfort in luxury, but he later contradicts his decision to live in self-punishment.

Chapter 32 (p. 186) the first paragraph, Walsingham says “Now, thought I, if Isabella had not been the victim of Sir Sydney’s passions, with this little sum I might have looked forward to the acquirement of a splendid fortune”. I feel as though he is an unreliable character in that he tends to contradict himself between what he says, what he does, and what he wants. 

Objectification and Idolatry - "Walsingham" - Volume II

The objectification of Isabella by both Walsingham and Sir Sidney indicates that the objectification of women is a manifestation not only in the masculine psyche, but in that of the feminine as well. In other words, in one case, objectifying women is considered a trait that the masculine mind will automatically exercise upon women, and in the other, the feminine mind is more liable to be accepting of the objectification that is exercised upon it. This is clearly demonstrated in the actions of both Sir Sidney and Walsingham in their handling of Isabella. Not only is she repeatedly referred to as the “object” (or occasionally the “idol”) of affection, but she is treated as an object particularly by Sir Sidney, who uses her willingness to be treated as such, as a way of manipulating her to abandon Walsingham.

It is also interesting to note that Sir Sidney, who is actually a woman, but has been raised and educated as a man, uses the same language when referring to Walsingham, that Walsingham uses when referring to Isabella. In this sense, Sir Sidney objectifies Wasingham as the “object” or “idol” of his/her affection.  I would argue that neither Walsingham nor Sir Sidney feel genuine regard for Isabella (or in Sir Sidney’s case, for Walsingham), as they are both so willing to put those whom they claim to love in positions that will be certainly damaging to them both physically and emotionally. Walsingham cares much more that Sir Sidney will be the possessor of his object of affection and that he will be left alone, than he does for the plight of Isabella, who is used relentlessly to achieve the volition of others. And in the case of Sir Sidney, s/he is willing to condemn Walsingham to the obscurity that he would inevitably occupy in order to prevent him from marrying Isabella. 

Walsingham

What I found most interesting about the first part of Walsingham was the contrast between Frances and Penelope. They are educated differently and the difference it makes in the two is startling. Frances is known for her beauty and ambition while Penelope is described  as having "mind formed
in natures most perfect mold." It is not surprising that Frances happiness is short lived. Even though her ambitions are met and she is received at court very well, her vanity becomes her highest importance and when she is forced to leave court and all her admirerers, misery sets upon her. But Penelope is described in highest regard. On page 55 she is described as being "composed of the purest passions, the most exquisite sensibility; she harmonized the ills of life by the affections of the heart." So even in the beginning the difference of these two female characters show the examples of the two perspectives of the education of women at this time.

10/5 "The Ruined Cottage"

     I think Wordsworth's poem serves several different purposes, and the two things that stood out to me was the idea that the things a man loves will deteriorate when he is no longer there, and the obliviousness of nature to human suffering. 
     Before the Wanderer even begins his story about Margaret he tells the narrator that not only do men die, but "that which each man loved and prized in his particular nook of the earth/ dies with him, or is changed" (33). Everything that the man left behind gradually decayed, and as the home deteriorated so did the wife and children. Margaret held out till the end with a "torturing hope" that he would return, and kept the man's loom in its place and his clothes hung where he left them. This could be read as critical towards women's position in society, since she had the loom sitting there but did not use it, and the Wanderer points out that he "left her busy with her garden tools" (258) and yet her garden doesn't last. 
     The images of nature taking over the cottage is present throughout the poem, like when the honeysuckle was "crowding round the porch" or how the yellow stone-crop "profusely grew,/ blinding the lower panes" (282), even the peas in the garden are strangled by weeds. The narrator appears to not see this as such a positive thing, at the end of the story he sees "the secret spirit of humanity" still surviving amid the "oblivious tendencies of Nature". The Wanderer, who sees things others can't, is more interested in meditating on the calming and peaceful feeling that the weeds they're looking at offer and not the sorrow that death and ruin bring. This awareness of Nature allowed the Wanderer to walk along his road in happiness, despite the grief he felt about the woman (520). To me this is a perfect example Wordsworth as a poet of nature. 

10/4 "The Ruined Cottage"

 William Wordsworth's "The Ruined Cottage" is a poem about a lady named Margaret and the hardships she faces throughout her life, and how her home reflects the hardships that she faces.

 A Wanderer comes upon and Old Man who is sitting near a ruined cottage, and he speaks about the family that use to live there, especially his friend Margaret. He tells us the sad tale of her life and how he watched as the cottage deteriorated along with her. I want to say that the cottage itself represents Margaret's hope. She goes through so much loss and so many hardships, and you can see how she begins to lose her hope in life. You see the beginning of this starting at line 210. The Old Man speaks about how happy he was to come upon the cottage, but not receiving the greeting he expected. Instead Margaret was burdened because her husband had been gone. It seems as if she couldn't keep herself together, that she didn't know what to do without him. He also says that her husband had not been gone two months. I am not sure if Wordsworth is showing that this is a weakness in women in the society. If he is trying to show women that you can go on without a man... but in the end you are left hopeless and with a deteriorating home (Just throwing some thoughts out there.) The Old man narrates how he tries to keep her hopes alive, and comforts her through these hardships that she is going through. Again, it is a male character that keeps her spirits up...

10/4 The Purple Jar

"The Purple Jar" by Maria Edgeworth is a fable about a valuable lesson learned by Rosamund when she chooses the jar of liquid instead of new shoes, that she was supposed to get. Her mother told her she would be disappointed in her decision to pick the jar of liquid as opposed to the shoes, but she doesn't listen. She gets the jar home, and decides that she doesn't like the jar of liquid anymore and doesn't want it. Her parents tell her she must wait until next month to get new shoes, and her father doesn't want to be seen with her because she doesn't look appropriate without them, which hurts her feelings.

Her mother is disappointed in her decision to pick the jar and her father is basically disgusted with her because of how she looks, which makes Rosamund learn her lesson the hard way. She doesn't get her way after she's upset about picking the jar over the shoes and must wait until she is able to get the new shoes. This story was used as a teaching tool for children and parents, as it was first published in The Parent's Assistant (1796). Fables, myths, and fairytales have been used throughout the centuries to help teach morals and lessons learned. It's a classic tale of desire and disappoint used to show that what you desire isn't always what's going to make you happy, and will disappoint you and others around you. These fables are also about character development through suffering, which is typically found among stories about heroes and heroines as well.

The Moral Education of Women

While many different viewpoints were expressed in the assigned texts, the main argument for women’s education seems to focus on their moral education. This emphasis on moral education is shown through the call for women to abandon vanity and trivial social pursuits in favor of rational thinking and utilizing their mind. The importance of rationality and cultivation of the mind is emphasized in Mary Robinson’s A Letter to the Women of England and shown as a lesson in the first dialogue of Charlotte Smith’s Rural Walks. In Robinson’s text she encourages women to “be less the slaves of vanity, and more the converts of Reflection” (99).  The rejection of vanity in favor of rational thought will in turn allow women to “explode the superstitious tenets of bigotry and fanaticism, confirm the intuitive immortality of the soul, and give them that genuine glow of conscious virtue which will grace them to prosperity” (99). This connection that Robinson makes between rational thinking and virtue or morality is shown through Mrs. Woodfield’s style of education and Caroline’s education in Rural Walks. The result of the different educations is most starkly shown through the girl’s interactions with the poor family. The fault of vanity causes Caroline to focus more on the impression that her accomplishments would make at a ball, and “How much admiration she should excite! How much praise she would hear”, than help the poor family (17). In comparison to Caroline, her cousins “seemed to feel pleasure in imagining little projects of their own, for the relief or the younger individuals of this unhappy family” (21-22). Mrs. Woodfield’s focus in the education of her daughters on “sensibility, gratitude, and humility” as well as the importance of a “young person to be taught to think” instead of vanity and traditional accomplishments allows her daughters to be morally superior to Caroline (19,16). This goes back to Robinson’s point that the cultivation of the mind and emphasis on rational thought and feeling will lead to greater happiness and virtue.