Controversy with Women and the Novel :: Free Essay Writer

Women and the Novel Novels on novelsshelves on shelves arise, of divers(a) merit, as of various size But good and bad, promiscuous as they fall, A rapacious host advance, and swallow all Like Egypts reptile race, they crowd their way, Nor order nor age, nor place, their progress stay, They throng the gaudy mansions of the great they greet the poor go in his humbler state nor in the proudest dome or meanest hovel, scum bag humankind blood and flesh resist a novel (Ware) During the 18th deoxycytidine monophosphate a new genre of reading came into existence novels. Novels were different from in the first place prosefiction as they abandoned traditional structure (Kerber 236). Novels allowed readers to experience other peoples lives. Characters became corporeal people with real names who led lives much like those of their readers (Kerber 236). As books became more readily accessible novels became increasingly popular especially with women. This is where the problems began. A womans responsibility (according to the patriarch society) was to the hometo raise her children to be good Christians and to be servile to her husband in all functions. round people began to feel that reading distracted women from their duties. This is illustrated in the following poem. And foregather They mount the toilet of the fair, and seek and find an easy homage there. Domestick drudery can scarce advance its claims in competition with romance mussitation the brother or the husband goes and thus discovers, that romantick scenes are not the thing for ladies in their teens. Balls parties mean-times, are alike forgot Poor Byron lies unread, and Walter Scott cares, duties, pleasures without notice pass And everything neglected, tho the glass (Ware) There was a real fear that reading novels would adjourn the womans duties by giving them false ideas of life and particularly made women unsuited for an d unhappy with the domestic roles for which society destined them (Nienkamp xiv).