ipl-logo

A Brief Review Of Cathy N. Davidson's Revolution And The Word

546 Words3 Pages

In Revolution and the Word: The Rise of the Novel in America (1986), Cathy N. Davidson described the 1790s as a decade alive with debate over woman's issues. Divided between two "highly polarized camps" (126), writers of the period advanced either "traditional" or "equalitarian" positions on a woman's role in the family and society: How should women relate to parents, suitors, husbands and children? How should women be educated? What work should women do in the world? According to Davidson, Judith Sargent Murray (1751-1820)-Massachusetts author of essays, letters, a novel, and two plays-advocated the early feminist equalitarian position "more than any other single American writer" at the time (129).
The recent republication of novels by such early women writers as Susanna Rowson, Hannah Foster, Rebecca Rush, and Tabitha Tenney; the appearance of anthologies of early American writing by women; and the access to early magazines now available through The American Periodical Series is making it possible to test Davidson's characterization of Murray's place in the 1790s. Murray's advocacy of woman's intellectual equality in works that also argue for female subservience within patriarchy raises questions critics have only recently begun to address about the gradual evolution of feminist ideas in the first …show more content…

Because she was primarily a magazine writer (even her novel and plays appeared serially in The Massachusetts Magazine) and because her work was collected as a book in the unwieldy (because poorly divided up) form of The Gleaner in 1798-republished only in 1992-Murray's contribution to early American discourse has been generally ignored. This is unfortunate not primarily because Murray was a gifted writer but because she was an energetic proponent of progressive ideas in a number of culturally significant

Show More
Related

Timothy Mcveigh Case Study

1193 Words | 5 Pages

When Timothy McVeigh made the decision to blow up the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, he knew how he would design the explosives so unique that the investigators knew they were designed by someone with military experience. McVeigh did not work alone on this project as Terry Nichols spent time in prison for aiding in the destruction. It is sad to note that an innocent mother was standing close to McVeigh when the bomb went off; thereby, killing her mother and children. There was nothing she could do as McVeigh had already lit the detonator.

Read More

Summary Of Revolutionary Backlash By Rosemarie Zagarri

613 Words | 3 Pages

The American Revolution was a political upheaval that brought many changes to America by greatly altering the popular understanding of women’s partisan status and creating a widespread debate over the meaning of women’s rights. White women had large, essential roles in America’s victory in the American Revolution creating new opportunities for women to participate in politics and support different parties. Women were able to take advantage of these opportunities until a conservative backlash developed by 1830 that stopped any political advancement of women. In Rosemarie Zagarri’s book, Revolutionary Backlash, the author talks about the many things that played a part in causing a backlash against women in the early republic starting when women’s

Read More

Womens Roles In Carol Berkin's Revolutionary Mothers

1303 Words | 6 Pages

In the book Revolutionary Mothers, author Carol Berkin discusses women’s roles in the American Revolution. She separates out the chapters so that she can discuss the different experiences and roles of women during the period. She utilizes primary and secondary sources to talk about how women stepped into their husband’s shoes and maintained their livelihoods and how they furthered the war effort on both sides, as well as how classes and race effected each woman’s experience. Berkin’s main goal was for the reader to understand that although women’s roles aren’t traditionally discussed when talking about the American Revolution, nevertheless, they played a major part in it.

Read More

Similarities And Differences Between Anne Bradstreet And Mary Rowlandson

1438 Words | 6 Pages

During the Puritan times gender roles in the society were very anti-feminist. Women were required to act as housewives and do womanly duties such as cook, clean, and take care of their children. Women had very little freedom as far as their rights were concerned also. Puritan writers, Anne Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson both experienced the struggle of the anti-feminist movement. From their writings we see that they both were against anti-feminism and they tried their best to abandon the whole idea.

Read More

Compare And Contrast Mary Rowlandson And Anne Bradstreet

1438 Words | 6 Pages

During the Puritan times gender roles in the society were very anti-feminist. Women were required to act as housewives and do womanly duties such as cook, clean, and take care of their children. Women had very little freedom as far as their rights were concerned also. Puritan writers, Anne Bradstreet and Mary Rowlandson both experienced the struggle of the anti-feminist movement. From their writings we see that they both were against anti-feminism and they tried their best to abandon the whole idea.

Read More

Revolutionary Mothers Analysis

635 Words | 3 Pages

Women were considered inferior to men; they had to rights and most of all no voice. Typically, as the old saying goes ‘they were to be seen and not hear’. Revolutionary Mothers, by Carol Berkin tells of the general stereotypes of women in America, the roles in which they played during the America revolution, and lastly it tells the story of the women through their own words. Stereotypes of Women In chapter one, Berkin states “God had created her to be a helpmate to man….and formed her for this purpose…to be frugal, and obedient (2005, p.4)”.

Read More

Judith Sargent Murray On The Equality Of The Sexes

594 Words | 3 Pages

The document "On the Equality of the Sexes" by Judith Sargent Murray reveals the author's arguments on gender inequality in America. Published in 1790 in the Massachusetts Magazine, Murray's thoughts on the matter of women's education stems from her own experience on denied opportunities because of her gender. She was not allowed to attend college for the simple fact that she was a female, but had studied alongside her brother while he was preparing for college. This shows that despite her sex, she was just as capable as a male in terms of intellectual capacity and it was unfair that she was not allowed to further this pursuit.

Read More

The Gilded Six Bits By Zora Neale Hurston

965 Words | 4 Pages

American Literature has certainly changed over the years, but women will always be a key element to literature. As a woman’s role in society changed, so did the way they were discussed in American Literature. In the beginning women were controlled, as well as not treated equally. With events, such as Women’s suffrage, equal rights were made possible. Although there were many constants that showed up throughout American Literature, the subject of women struck me as a very important topic.

Read More

An Analysis Of Lily's Identity In The House Of Mirth By Edith Wharton

1787 Words | 8 Pages

During the American Modernist period the first wave of feminism emerged during this period which many of its characteristics is seen in The House of Mirth. Women actively sought changes that would allow them to experience life as men’s equals rather than as their subordinates. Gender roles were rigidly defined, and women who resisted them were often ignored, and/or criticized. As a result of these and many other limiting factors, women, especially wives, were significantly dependent on men.   In Edith Wharton's Arguments with America, Elizabeth Ammons notes that:

Read More

How Did Margaret Fuller Contribute To Transcendentalism

1056 Words | 5 Pages

Born on May 23, 1810 in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, America’s first Feminist, Margaret Fuller, was forced into education at a young age. Her mother, a school teacher, took full charge of her education, and “at the age of six she was introduced to Latin and two years later she was reading Ovid” (Gale 1). Her father, a Harvard graduate and lawyer, aided in the construction of Fuller’s friendships with intellectual leaders when she was young. During her time spent with authors and philosophers, “[Fuller’s] secret hope of what Woman might be and do, as an author, in our Republic” (Gale 1) became a major topic.

Read More

Scarlett Letter Essay

917 Words | 4 Pages

One of the themes explored in the text is the epistolary relationship between her and the late Martha Washington, the wife of President George Washington. Their relationship provides insight into the 18th century ideals of femininity and is a commentary on the lack of recognition that women have historically faced in the context of politics. Although the United States Constitution granted more rights to women than most other texts written during the same time period, the relationship between Fanny Aldridge and Martha Washington serves as an example of how the lives of women in 18th century America were still constrained (Salomon

Read More

Essay On Colonial Women

1301 Words | 6 Pages

The life women in the American colonies was treacherous, yet rewarding. There was so much death and sickness around at the beginning of the new world it is a wonder anyone survived. Had it not been for the nurturing and healing offered by women, this country may have never gotten itself off the ground. Women took care of the home, and the family and this remained the main focal point of the American colonial women. Although women’s lives changed exponentially over the century and a half, especially during the market revolution and the second great awakening, the true belief of what a woman was remained unchanged.

Read More

Trial Of Anne Hutchinson Patriarchy

1228 Words | 5 Pages

while feminism is a wide spread concept today, women’s voice were hardly aired in the early centauries of America history. Some of the acts that show how much the patriarchal system worked in America include the sending of women to Virginia in 1622 (Foner 433)This act showed the dominance of men as this decision was made without the consultation of women at all. The Maryland Act Concerning Religion of 1644 also shades light of how society was governed in the early centauries. The Trial of Anne Hutchinson of 1637 became the first act of women rebellion as a few courageous women aimed to break the long history of men dominance and demanded for a few basic right which included the right to education and say over the society that they also lived in (Foner 502). This also included the right to make simple decision as the right clothes for women to wear and how women were allowed to act in

Read More

Analysis Of Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication Of The Rights Of Women

750 Words | 3 Pages

Mary Wollstonecraft’s A vindication of the rights of women written in 1792 can be considered one of the first feminist documents, although the term appeared much later in history. In this essay, Wollstonecraft debates the role of women and their education. Having read different thinkers of the Enlightenment, as Milton, Lord Bacon, Rousseau, John Gregory and others, she finds their points of view interesting and at the same time contrary to values of the Enlightenment when they deal with women’s place. Mary Wollstonecraft uses the ideas of the Enlightenment to demand equal education for men and women. I will mention how ideals of the Enlightenment are used in favor of men but not of women and explain how Wollstonecraft support her “vindication” of the rights of women using those contradictions.

Read More

Comparison Of Feminism In The Handmaid's Tale By Virginia Woolf

1141 Words | 5 Pages

From the outset, literature and all forms of art have been used to express their author’s feelings, opinions, ideas, and believes. Accordingly, many authors have resorted to their writing to express their feminist ideas, but first we must define what feminism is. According to the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, feminism is “the belief that women should be allowed the same rights, power, and opportunities as men and be treated in the same way, or the set of activities intended to achieve this state”. As early as the fifteenth century is possible to find feminist writings. Centuries later, and although she never referred to herself as one, the famous English writer Virginia Woolf became one of the greatest feminist writers of the twentieth

Read More

More about A Brief Review Of Cathy N. Davidson's Revolution And The Word

Related Topics

Open Document