It’s needless to say that after reading Collier’s poem, I wasn’t crazy about Stephen Duck’s poem “The Thresher’s Labour”. Although I was a bit annoyed with him, I still found his poem to be dry and a bit boring.

I have read “The Lady’s Dressing Room” before, and, like last time, I found it both funny and cruel. I am guessing that Swift did not have much luck with the ladies… and I’m also guessing that things didn’t improve for him after he wrote this poem, which can be seen in Montagu’s poem “The Reasons that Induced Dr. S to Write a Poem Called the Lady’s Dressing Room”)! Every time I read Swift’s rude account of Celia’s dressing room, I am always glad to find out that the speaker is cursed because “His foul Imagination links/ Each Dame he sees with all her Stinks”. I find that this is a just reward for his sneaking into Celia’s chamber.

          Finch’s argument is written in the form of a poem; “The Introduction” uses the argument that women have not always been looked upon as their only purpose as being managers of a “servile house”(Demaria 396), but that in Biblical times they served a greater purpose. Finch argues that women played a part in fulfilling Samuels prophecy over King Saul, and she states that “How are we fal’n, fal’n by mistaken rules?… Debarred from all improvements of the mind” (Demaria 396, 397).

         Mary Astell also used Biblical ideas to support her cause by petitioning women to turn away from their present vanity, and the idea that “the best improvement we can make of these, is to attract the Eyes of Men” (Demaria 424). She uses the argument that women, like men, should be contending for a high place in heaven, which is ” a Matter infinitely more worthy your Debates, than what Colours are the most agreeable, or what’s the Dress becomes you best” (Demaria 423).

I found the class and the presentation on Robinson Crusoe to be very interesting. The discussion we had on the question of “how are we suppose to reconcile Crusoe’s religious beliefs with his strong focus on goods and acquisitions?” was what I found to be the most thought provoking. It is obvious that up until his sickness on the island that Crusoe has been pretty “wishy-washy” in his religious beliefs. But after his terrible sickness he suddenly becomes a devout Christian. After making his religious decision, Crusoe continues keeping a detailed log on all of his possessions, seeming almost obsessed with keeping count of his goods. When most people think of individuals being devout Christians, they think of them as people who are not suppose to place great value on material possessions, which is what it seems Crusoe is doing. I don’t think that Crusoe is clashing with his Christian beliefs by keeping inventory, because I think that is exactly what he is doing… keeping inventory. He has no clue how long he will be stuck on this island, so he has to make sure what he has will last as long as possible. In a way, this record keeping can be seen as an act of responsibility to make the best out of what God has provided him with.  (Plus, what else is he going to do!!!)

 Images: 1st www.uh.edu   2nd ww.rugreview.com             

http://www.tfana.org/oroonoko.html

Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko was an interesting story but I would definitely characterize it as a romance and not an antislavery narrative. This was the first time I read Oroonoko, and I was a little disappointed in that I had always heard of this story as being one of the first antislavery narratives. To me, it seems that Behn was opposed to Oroonoko’s and Imoinda’s slavery because they displayed what she considers to be noble characteristics, or one could argue, white, European characteristics. This can be seen in her following description of Oroonoko: “His Nose was rising and Roman, instead of African flat. His Mouth, the finest shaped that could be seen; far from those great turned lips, which are so natural to the rest of the Negroes. The whole Proportion and Air of his Face was so noble, and exactly formed, that, bating his Colour, there could be nothing in nature more beautiful, agreeable and handsome” (Demaria, 297). In fact, in these statements, Behn bashes Oroonoko’s entire race. Another statement that shows Behn’s consideration is only for Oroonoko occurs after she gets the news that he has been severly whipped: “…but the news overtook us that Caesar [Oroonoko] was taken, and Whipped like a common Slave” Demaria, 330). Behn does not seem to upset at the idea of slavery, but she does seem upset that Oroonoko is a slave.

In contrast to Behn, whose writings do not discourage the idea of the “other”, Hannah More’s writings from The Slave Trade seems to promote the similarities between the English and the African slaves. She writes that the slaves are victims of barbarity: “See the dire victim torn from social life,/ The shrieking babe, the agonizing wife;/ She, wretch forlorn! is dragged by hostile hands,/ To distant tyrants sold, in distant lands!” (Demaria, 1016). More begs the English people, whom she calls murderers and ruffians, to recognize that the slaves have the same emotions, passions, and love for liberty that they themselves have: “Hold, murderers, hold! nor aggravate distress;/ Respect the passions you yourselves possess:/ E’en you, of ruffian heart and ruthless hand,/ Love your own offspring, love your native land” (Demaria, 1016). In line 165, More claims that slaves are still people, countering the idea that slaves were some how less than human. More also argues, like the writings of Equiano, that slavery is unchristian, and that it turns individuals away from the idea of a loving God (Demaria215-219).

http://www.buy.com/prod/fantomina-and-other-works/q/loc/106/36344045.html

Here is the Fantomina presentation that we did on Amatory Fiction week.

fantomina-presentation

This excerpt from Grace Abounding shows a spiritual struggle that John Bunyan went through dealing with his beliefs. I found this interesting because we only hear about Bunyan’s great faith and how his beliefs caused him to go to prison for years, and during that time he wrote his famous work Pilgrims Progress (which I have always found to be an interesting read). I found that this reading humanizes him.

I found Pepys to be entertaining because of his lifestyle… he knows and hangs-out with England’s high society, such as the Duke of Albemarle, Sir William Batten, and even the king. I liked his statement concerning the King: “…hearing him [the king] and the Duke talk and seeing and observing their manner of discourse; and God forgive me, though I adore them with all the duty possible, yet the more a man considers and observes them, the less he finds of difference between them and other men…” (Demaria, 270). Pepys’ writings humanizes the king, which might have been quite shocking at that time, but its an interesting idea now. Pepys also gives readers a personal look into the terrible effects of the plague on personal lives and the city of London. He mentions the tolling death bell, the empty streets, the sending of his wife away, the deaths of acquaintances… 

Montagu’s writings takes readers to far and exotic places. The first letter took readers inside a convent in Vienna, which at first she praises at the beginning of her letter… until she meetst a woman whom she feels is too genteel to be locked inside a convent, and then she “never in [her] life had so little charity for the Roman Catholic religion…” (Demaria, 692) Montagu then takes readers inside the Turkish Empire to the famous hot baths, which she describes the layout and also the women using the baths (and also their lack of clothing).

Moving from Katherine to Aphra Behn… Behn is definitely less modest and conservative! (but considerably more entertaining!) Behn’s “The Disappointment” is highly entertaining just because of the elaborate phrasing and the use of flowery words to describe a not-so-great situation! For example, Behn refers to what Cloris’ and Lysander’s  would-be sexual act as a sacrifice (L45,67), and Lysander’s impotence as being “Unable to perform the Sacrifice”( L 70).

If Behn is less modest and conservative, then John Wilmot does not possess any of those two characteristics! “The Imperfect Enjoyment” is entertaining, yet it is so crude that it can be offensive, especially to females. The speaker has obviously “been around the block” and doesn’t have much of a conscience about it, which is seen in lines 37-45 ( I’ll spare everyone by not typing it all out).  I did find it interesting that in this poem the man blames his own body for its impotence, unlike Lysander in Behn’s “The Disappointment” who rails against the gods, his birth, his fate, his stars, and most of all Cloris (everything but himself).