The Coquette Essay

The Coquette, written by Hannah Webster Foster in 1797, chronicles the life of an affluent woman in the 18th century. There are a few themes that are presented throughout the whole novel: correspondence, sexual freedom, and ideal womanhood. Elizabeth Whitman has been an icon of American history since the 19th century because of her bravery and contempt for the caged position of women in society. It is stated that the tombstone of Elizabeth Whitman is a popular tourist attraction; “her grave was a

Expected Behavior in The Coquette and The Female Marine   In society, constructs of correctness have been formed on the basis of expected, gendered behavior. Individuals have traditional roles that they play which are based on the historical performance of their gender. Although very rigid, these traditional roles are frequently transferred, resulting in an altered and undefinable identity that exists beyond the boundaries of gender. These transgressions into the neuter role are characterized

Violations of the True Woman in The Coquette             In her article, "The Cult of True Womanhood: 1820-1860," Barbara Welter discusses the nineteenth-century ideal of the perfect woman. She asserts that "the attributes of True Womanhood . . . could be divided into four cardinal virtues-piety, purity, submissiveness and domesticity." Furthermore, she adds that "if anyone, male or female, dared to tamper with the complex virtues which made up True Womanhood, he was damned immediately as

Hannah Webster Foster’s The Coquette (1797) and William Hill Brown’s The Power of Sympathy (1789) are epistolary novels that outline the inevitable perils and consequences (for women) of carelessly becoming a victim of male seduction. These provocative novels allow readers to enter a sexual private sphere of society, one that may have been deemed taboo, through letters depicting the art of seduction. Women were expected to subscribe to the societal expectations of appropriate female behavior. In

Since its release in 1797, The Coquette by Hannah Webster Foster has been a focal point for discussions on women and feminism in literature. The Coquette makes its distinction from other, similar romance novels because of its contradictory messages. Throughout the story, the reader follows Elizabeth Wharton, a woman who finds herself in a love triangle with two other men, Major Sanford and Reverend Boyer. Repeatedly, Wharton states her opposition towards marriage, and because of that, she decides

What could be said to early American women's writers except, thank you? The first American women's writers opened doors and laid the foundation for future women's writers and readers. Today's women raise children, supervise households, and work outside the home with every modern convenience available, and as you would expect do not find the time to write, except for a grocery list. Early American women raised children and supervised households without the modern conveniences of today and in some

March 4, 2017 Make a Connection Assignment In both essays, two common themes revealed are the dominance of man and to find the perfect female spouse to satisfy their male spouses need. Ideas that are being presented are girls need to stay girly and attractive and males cannot sustain friendship with females. Each author elaborates on what the ideal male or female is. The author Paul Theroux talks more about how society sees as a man in his essay “Being a Man” and uses metaphors and hyperboles to

“Fighting….maybe for freedom, but probably not” was an indication of just how “revolutionary” the Revolution War era was for women. As America was going through a new estate with the legacy of the revolution, and striving for a new national governance, opportunities arose for both men and women. During the revolutionary era, woman showed achievements in war and education. Although, women developed a new consciousness that increased opportunities to influence public life, it was often limited and

Many literary critics have considered Washington Irving to be an anti-feminist. This essay focuses on the feminist’s point of view of Irving’s literary works that don’t support the ideologies and movements that lead to the political, cultural, economic, and social rights for women. A feminist’s analysis of the literary works of Washington Irving begins with a look at the period of time in which he lived and its influence on his writing style and subjects. Historians would describe Irving’s early

Wollstonecraft’s notion of gender equality does have bearing in today’s society. Moreover, it can be applied to the United States because all women must be considered equal citizen and receive all of the same rights and privileges that men do. In this essay, I will outline in the first paragraph a brief recap of Wollstonecraft’s idea regarding women and education, then in the second paragraph expand on her meaning of a “revolution in female manners,” afterwards in the third paragraph describe virtue and

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Summary and Analysis Major Themes Veracity in Storytelling Veracity in storytelling is a defining theme of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” The story is distantly removed from the reader—Crayon has found the story in Diedrich Knickerbocker’s papers, who is dead, and who at the end of the story writes that he heard it from an old gentleman, who claimed to not have even believed half of it himself, ultimately getting much of the story from primary or even other secondary

Connotations of marriage and social mores in Alexander’s Pope poem “The Rape of the Lock” In the early eighteenth century England witnessed the peak of the tumultuous changes that is presently known as the Age of Enlightenment. Trapped deep within the chaotic changes of politics, religion, art and social mores, Alexander Pope proved a master at exploiting these changes circumstances in order to become an admired poet. (page 558, Wilson) Visible affected by the superficiality of the humankind

Nancy Moore Professor Howell English 112 14 April 2015 Emily Dickinson Literary Research Essay Emily Dickinson was born December 10, 1830. Not much is known about her childhood as related to her writings but she did write letters to friends while in her pre-teen and teenage years. Those writings reflected her reluctance to become fully immersed in Christianity even though she was raised in a Christian home. Her world view seemed to be that she loved the world and wanted to experience it

Michael Prather 12/4/08 Essay #2 The Objectification of Women in “On the Road” A Feminist Criticism In On the Road there is an ever-present objectification of women. As a result, the woman loses her human qualities and can be compared to an inanimate object. There are several ways in which this objectification takes form in the novel. It is achieved through the act of gazing at women. The woman can also be used as a means to achieve something else, in this case sensual pleasure. Since the culture

The history of American Literature starts well before this land was even called America. It has been a great evolution to come from tribal symbols and drawings to today's Stephen King and Danielle Steele. Literature has gone through many phases and was impacted by great events and ideas in American history. The earliest form of literature in what would one day be known as America were far from what modern day people would consider "Literature". The Natives who inhabited this land first had unwritten