Fantomina; or Love in a Maze is a neoclassical novel written by Eliza Haywood and published in 1725. She Walks in Beauty, on the other hand, is a poem written in the Romantic era by Lord Byron in the year 1813. The Neoclassical period was an era before the Industrial Revolution and Romanticism. The era existed in the late 1600s and went up to the late 1700s. In the western world, the neoclassical period was characterized by agrarian Christian family models, which downgraded women of every class. In this era, a woman’s place was at home, in the kitchen, and on birth beds. In the Romantic era, however, things were a bit different. Romanticism began in the late 17001’s and extended through the 1800s. Romanticism was a philosophical as well as a creative era which had succeeded the period of enlightenment. Romanticism spread after the Industrial Revolution and the criticism against the ideas of the Enlightenment era, which had reduced man to a thinking machine with no soul. Romanticism brought the ideas of free expression of emotions as well as creativity.
The events in Fantomina revolve around an unnamed lady who takes the positions of different women in the society to find out how a particular man will treat her in different situations. The lady begins by taking the position of a prostitute. She later disguises herself as a maid, a widow, and lastly an incognita. While in all those positions, Beuplaisair, the man she fools seeks sexual satisfaction with her and later gets tired and moves on to “another woman.” She Walks in Beauty, on the other hand, is a poem written by a man who adores a woman. The poet not only speaks of the woman’s physical beauty but also the beauty of her soul as well as its power and influence. The first work; Fantomina, shows women’s degradation in the neoclassical society but the second shows how men began to realize that women were more than just sexual objects and home keepers.
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During the Romantic period of literature, there arose a debate about the proper role of women. Both men and women authors and poets wrote about the changing roles of women. In essence, women wrote about their experiences and thoughts about their positions in society. From the poem by Lord Byron, it is possible to conclude that women were enjoying more freedom in the romantic era more than they were in the neoclassical era. First, it is said that Lord Byron was inspired into writing the poem after he met a woman who was his far cousin’s wife in a ballroom. This shows that women, during the romantic era were freer to participate in public events compared to the neoclassical period whereby they were more confined to staying at home and taking care of housework.
During the neoclassical era, women served entirely as managers of their households. They were obliged to activities that oversaw the satisfaction of their men’s needs. This is what is portrayed in Fantomina; who despite disguising herself as different women in the society, finds herself with just one obligation; taking care of the needs of Beauplaisir. There is nowhere in the text that Fantomina’s needs are a priority. At one point, she even tells Beauplaisir that she is a virgin and wishes not to have sex. He, however, rapes her to satisfy his desires because the society he lives in has made him believe that his needs are superior to those of women and that women are objects for fulfilling men’s desires.
The only way that Fantomina gets to enjoy liberty in the neoclassical society is through hiding her identity. Fantomina desires to find out how a man of certain standards will treat her when she takes the position of different women in the society. Fantomina is, however, not to reveal her real identity so that her reputation cannot be ruined. Fantomina is from a cultured family, and the things she does can bring dishonor not only to her but also her family if at all her real identity is revealed. This shows that women in different classes were treated differently in the neoclassical era. Those from higher classes were expected to behave in a certain way that kept their dignity. Nothing much, however, was expected from the women in lower classes. It was a norm for the women of low classes to work as prostitutes. When Beauplaisir approaches Fantomina at first, she answers with wit something that is expected from the women working as prostitutes. This shows that the neoclassical society considered the women of low class as lesser beings with lesser human qualities than those of higher socioeconomic classes.
The writer of the romantic era poem; She Walks in Beauty, however, portrays the position of women in the era as being different from that of the women in the neoclassical era. Indeed, writers of the romantic period focused on the elimination of the subordination of women that had existed in the preceding era (Wollstonecraft, 2012). Men began to realize that the subordination of women had negative impacts not only on women but also on the entire community. In the romantic era, both men and women discovered that freedom for everyone was essential for the development of the entire community. The constraints affected the development of women, and as a result, that of the whole society as well. Lord Byron, in his poem, describes how a woman lights up his world.
She Walks in Beauty is a poem that symbolizes the importance of a free woman to society. The poet, Lord Byron, who was known for his drinking habits and multiple sexual encounters with women was struck by the beauty of the woman he met in a party in London in 1814 (Trueblood, 1999). The way he describes her paints a picture of a confident woman who does not submit to the degrading of her gender by society. Byron sees something special in such a woman. He describes a woman who is not only blessed with physical beauty but also with qualities that are harmonious. The poet compares the beauty of the woman to “a clear night lit brightly by stars.” This line symbolizes the role of women in society. Women are naturally emotional beings who bring emotional worldview. The emotional reasoning is important to humanity since it is through emotions that the human race establishes most of the rules of humanity. Women’s contribution to society is, therefore, crucial in ensuring that human beings live in harmony while caring for each other.
The romantic era saw the rise of women leaving the confinement of house chores and setting foot into the world to establish their financial independence. After the Industrial Revolution began, agrarian jobs became rare and, therefore, men began to leave their homes for big cities in search of employment in the factories that had arisen due to advancement in metallurgy and machinery (Baumeister & Twenge, 2002) . After the men went, women were left behind to fill their positions as the heads of the family as well as coordinators of things in the community. Some women also sort for employment in the factories. It is during this era that the world discovered how much a woman could contribute to the development of society.
Prior to the romantic era was the neoclassical era which imitated the style of classical Greeks and Romans. This society was more conservative and misogynistic. It was a time of comfortableness in Europe and people were reluctant to push for change. Women worked in their homes while men worked in their farms or other jobs around their communities which provided just enough for their families. People were more concerned about appearances in public as well as maintaining a good reputation than being genuine (Goller, 2009). The literature of this era reflected order, accuracy, and structure of the society. It portrayed man as inherently flawed and, therefore, emphasized on self-control, restraint, and the use of common sense. The sexual codes of the time do not allow Fantomina to explore her sexuality because doing so is termed as a sin in her society. Freedom for women was an unthinkable subject in the 18 th century. Women barely received an education, and men generally ran society. As such, it was impossible to imagine that one day even the women from low classes would be emancipated.
In conclusion, Fantomina was written way before the feminism ideology came into existence. The author of the novel, however, explores a subject that was viewed as an abomination during her time. Eliza Haywood was ahead of her time and often received criticism for that. Through her literature, which explored what women were not allowed to do, the neoclassical oppression of women is put to light. The romantic era, however, came with a wave of changes, which were a result of the industrial revolution. Women began to realize some freedom and men began to understand the positive change brought to society with a free woman. This is expressed by Lord Bryon in She Walks in Beauty as he describes the beauty and happiness brought to the society by a free woman.
References
Baumeister, R. F., & Twenge, J. M. (2002). Cultural suppression of female sexuality. Review of General Psychology , 6 (2), 166.
Göller, K. H. (1983). The Emancipation of Women in Eighteenth-Century English Literature. Anglia-Zeitschrift für Englische Philologie , 1983 (101), 78-98.
Trueblood, P.G. (1999). Lord Byron. New York: G.K Hall & Co.
Wollstonecraft, M. A Vindication of the Rights of Women. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. The Romantic Period. New York: W.W. Norton.
