Literature and the Ideal

During the 18^th century the idea of women’s rights was quite a bit different then what it is today. During that time women were expected to take care of home duties and be a good wife to their husband and mother to their children. They were not looked at as having the same rights as men during the age and often times were punished for doing something that men did regularly. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu expressed these ideas and how she felt about them in her two pieces “The Lover: a Ballad” and “Epistle from Mrs. Yonge to Her Husband”.  In these pieces she attempts to display the ideal of woman’s rights through various persuasive techniques.

In Montagu’s piece “The Lover: a Ballad” she portrays a girl that has the longing to find a lover and a spouse but is unwilling to give herself to anyone. Unlike many women during the time period she was not going to just marry someone because they could take care of her, she wanted love. “From such a dear lover as here I describe/ No danger should fright me, no millions should bribe;/ But till this astonishing creature I know,/ As I long have lived chaste, I will keep myself so…”(Montagu, 1747, p. 1199). In this part she conveys her feelings on the subject in a way that makes the audience realize what her intentions are in writing the ballad. This reshapes the idea of the romance poem because it shocks the reader. Prior to this part they believed that this is a romantic poem when really it is poem discussing a sensitive subject for women during the time.

In “The Lover: A Ballad” the linguistic structures and literary techniques Montagu uses makes the reader see further what her goal was in writing it. Throughout this piece she uses strong language for the time to portray her feelings about the subject of getting married to just anyone. Some examples of this is in the first stanza when she says, “This stupid indifference so often you blame/…/ I am not cold as a Virgin in lead,” (Montagu, 1747, p. 1198).  She continues on describing this feeling by comparing it to being cheated and that she will not be tricked. Every word that she uses is important to her ultimate goal.

After two stanzas of describing how bad a life of being married to someone she did not love would be, she continues describing how she imagines being married to someone she does love. When Montagu describes what she sees as right in a marriage it makes the reader see how she feels and her real point of view on the topic. “Let the friend and the lover be handsomely mixed,/  In whose tender bosom my soul might confide,/ Whose kindness can sooth me, whose counsel can guide,/ From such a dear lover as her I describe…” (Montagu, 1747, p. 1199).  Because of this contrasting the reader understands what Montagu is trying to say and they feel the same as she does that it is a woman’s right to marry who she wants to. She gets her idea across very successfully because the reader continues to feel that way after they read the ballad.

“Epistle from Mrs. Yonge to Her Husband” Montagu portrays the same idea of women’s rights but in a different way. Her language and form of the poem make the reader sympathize for the women that has fallen victim to society’s standards. Montagu starts by asking the reader to not feel sorry for her and her situation. The opening stanza makes the reader wonder what she is talking about. As she continues into the next section the reader realizes automatically that it is about the unfairness towards women during the time. She does this by saying, “The weak submissive sex of womankind./ If sighs have gained or force compelled our hand,/ …/ Whatever motive binds the fatal tie,/ The judging world expects our constancy.”(Montagu, 1742, 1972, p. 1200).  After reading this the reader wonders what this woman went through to make her feel this way about life.

The history of this piece is particularly important because it is the entire reason why the narrator feels the way she does about her rights as a woman. The narrator was treated unfairly by her ex-husband when he found out the she had had an affair. The treatment that he gave her was unfair because he too had been having an affair and never got punished. The language that she uses gets this idea out without describing her full story completely.

The way that Montagu’s strategy works well is because it keeps the audience wondering until they know a little background on the story. However, without the background story the reader still fully understands that the narrator had been treated unfairly, thus bring up woman’s rights. The part that the reader starts to fully understand some of the background is, “Renounce your fortune, and release your vows./ To custom (though unjust) so much is due;/ I hide my frailty from the public view/ My conscience is clear, yet sensible of shame,/ My life hazard, to preserve my fame.” (Montagu, 1742, 1972, p. 1201). This part gives the reader an idea of where the poem is going.

Montagu continues portray the need for having more rights as a women when she says, “Dragged into light, my tender crime is shown/ And every circumstance of fondness known./ Beneath the shelter of the law you stand,/ And urge my ruin with a cruel hand,/ While to my fault thus rigidly severe,/ Tamely submissive to the man you fear.”(Montagu, 1742, 1972, p. 1201). In using the words such as “dragged”, “tender crime”, “cruel hand”, and “submissive” Montagu makes her point clear that the narrator is a victim of the society’s standards and expectations for women and their rights.

Montagu gets her point across very well by using the words and phrases that she does. One can see that because by the end of the poem not only is the reader feeling sorry for the narrator but they are also feeling compelled to stand up for their own rights. Because of this her ultimate goal is clear and also accomplished.

Overall both of these poems portray the need for women’s rights in the 17^th century in two distinct ways. Both are strong perspectives and persuade the reader of Montagu’s point of view. Because both narrators in the poems were strong and willing to stand up for their rights it makes the reader stronger and more willing to stand up for theirs. This ultimately makes Montagu a strong inspirational person in the beginning of the women’s rights movement.

 

References

Montagu, L. W. (1742, 1972). Epistle from Mrs. Yonge to Her Husband. In S. Greenblatt, & M. H. Abrams (Eds.), The Norton Anthology of English Literature (8th ed., pp. 1200-1201). London: Norton & Company.

Montagu, L. W. (1747). The Lover: A Ballad. In S. Greenblatt, & M. H. Abrams (Eds.), The Norton Anthology of English Literature (8th ed., pp. 1198-1199). London: Norton & Company.

Literature and the Ideal

During the 18^th century the idea of women’s rights was quite a bit different then what it is today. During that time women were expected to take care of home duties and be a good wife to their husband and mother to their children. They were not looked at as having the same rights as men during the age and often times were punished for doing something that men did regularly. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu expressed these ideas and how she felt about them in her two pieces “The Lover: a Ballad” and “Epistle from Mrs. Yonge to Her Husband”.  In these pieces she attempts to display the ideal of woman’s rights through various persuasive techniques.

In Montagu’s piece “The Lover: a Ballad” she portrays a girl that has the longing to find a lover and a spouse but is unwilling to give herself to anyone. Unlike many women during the time period she was not going to just marry someone because they could take care of her, she wanted love. “From such a dear lover as here I describe/ No danger should fright me, no millions should bribe;/ But till this astonishing creature I know,/ As I long have lived chaste, I will keep myself so…”(Montagu, 1747, p. 1199). In this part she conveys her feelings on the subject in a way that makes the audience realize what her intentions are in writing the ballad. This reshapes the idea of the romance poem because it shocks the reader. Prior to this part they believed that this is a romantic poem when really it is poem discussing a sensitive subject for women during the time.

In “The Lover: A Ballad” the linguistic structures and literary techniques Montagu uses makes the reader see further what her goal was in writing it. Throughout this piece she uses strong language for the time to portray her feelings about the subject of getting married to just anyone. Some examples of this is in the first stanza when she says, “This stupid indifference so often you blame/…/ I am not cold as a Virgin in lead,” (Montagu, 1747, p. 1198).  She continues on describing this feeling by comparing it to being cheated and that she will not be tricked. Every word that she uses is important to her ultimate goal.

After two stanzas of describing how bad a life of being married to someone she did not love would be, she continues describing how she imagines being married to someone she does love. When Montagu describes what she sees as right in a marriage it makes the reader see how she feels and her real point of view on the topic. “Let the friend and the lover be handsomely mixed,/  In whose tender bosom my soul might confide,/ Whose kindness can sooth me, whose counsel can guide,/ From such a dear lover as her I describe…” (Montagu, 1747, p. 1199).  Because of this contrasting the reader understands what Montagu is trying to say and they feel the same as she does that it is a woman’s right to marry who she wants to. She gets her idea across very successfully because the reader continues to feel that way after they read the ballad.

“Epistle from Mrs. Yonge to Her Husband” Montagu portrays the same idea of women’s rights but in a different way. Her language and form of the poem make the reader sympathize for the women that has fallen victim to society’s standards. Montagu starts by asking the reader to not feel sorry for her and her situation. The opening stanza makes the reader wonder what she is talking about. As she continues into the next section the reader realizes automatically that it is about the unfairness towards women during the time. She does this by saying, “The weak submissive sex of womankind./ If sighs have gained or force compelled our hand,/ …/ Whatever motive binds the fatal tie,/ The judging world expects our constancy.”(Montagu, 1742, 1972, p. 1200).  After reading this the reader wonders what this woman went through to make her feel this way about life.

The history of this piece is particularly important because it is the entire reason why the narrator feels the way she does about her rights as a woman. The narrator was treated unfairly by her ex-husband when he found out the she had had an affair. The treatment that he gave her was unfair because he too had been having an affair and never got punished. The language that she uses gets this idea out without describing her full story completely.

The way that Montagu’s strategy works well is because it keeps the audience wondering until they know a little background on the story. However, without the background story the reader still fully understands that the narrator had been treated unfairly, thus bring up woman’s rights. The part that the reader starts to fully understand some of the background is, “Renounce your fortune, and release your vows./ To custom (though unjust) so much is due;/ I hide my frailty from the public view/ My conscience is clear, yet sensible of shame,/ My life hazard, to preserve my fame.” (Montagu, 1742, 1972, p. 1201). This part gives the reader an idea of where the poem is going.

Montagu continues portray the need for having more rights as a women when she says, “Dragged into light, my tender crime is shown/ And every circumstance of fondness known./ Beneath the shelter of the law you stand,/ And urge my ruin with a cruel hand,/ While to my fault thus rigidly severe,/ Tamely submissive to the man you fear.”(Montagu, 1742, 1972, p. 1201). In using the words such as “dragged”, “tender crime”, “cruel hand”, and “submissive” Montagu makes her point clear that the narrator is a victim of the society’s standards and expectations for women and their rights.

Montagu gets her point across very well by using the words and phrases that she does. One can see that because by the end of the poem not only is the reader feeling sorry for the narrator but they are also feeling compelled to stand up for their own rights. Because of this her ultimate goal is clear and also accomplished.

Overall both of these poems portray the need for women’s rights in the 17^th century in two distinct ways. Both are strong perspectives and persuade the reader of Montagu’s point of view. Because both narrators in the poems were strong and willing to stand up for their rights it makes the reader stronger and more willing to stand up for theirs. This ultimately makes Montagu a strong inspirational person in the beginning of the women’s rights movement.

 

References

Montagu, L. W. (1742, 1972). Epistle from Mrs. Yonge to Her Husband. In S. Greenblatt, & M. H. Abrams (Eds.), The Norton Anthology of English Literature (8th ed., pp. 1200-1201). London: Norton & Company.

Montagu, L. W. (1747). The Lover: A Ballad. In S. Greenblatt, & M. H. Abrams (Eds.), The Norton Anthology of English Literature (8th ed., pp. 1198-1199). London: Norton & Company.