New men? : Exploring constructions of masculinity in late nineteenth-century new women novels PDF
Preview New men? : Exploring constructions of masculinity in late nineteenth-century new women novels
NEWMEN?:EXPLORINGCONSTRUCTIONSOFMASCULINITY INLATENINETEENTH-CENTURYNEWWOMANNOVELS By BARBARATILLEY ADISSERTATIONPRESENTEDTOTHEGRADUATESCHOOL OFTHEUNIVERSITYOFFLORIDAINPARTIALFULFILLMENT OFTHEREQUIREMENTSFORTHEDEGREEOF DOCTOROFPHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITYOFFLORIDA 2002 Copyright2002 by BarbaraTilley ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IextendawarmandexhuberantthankyoutoElizabethLanglandfor offeringherconstantsupportandwordsofwisdomasIstruggledthroughthe longandsometimesincrediblyfrustratingprocessofwritingthisdissertation. I thankPamelaGilbertforherguidancewhenIthoughtthatIcouldnotwrite anotherword. Agratefulthankyougoestomymother,SusanSolomon,for shelteringmewhileIwroteandresearchedthisproject. 1wishtothankRita Manarinoforheremotionalsupportwhentimesweretoughandformakingthe seriousresearchandwritingofthisdissertationpossiblewiththegiftofmy laptopcomputer. Finallyaspecialthankyougoestomydear,belovedfriend MargaretMcPeake,whohasbeenmakingmelaughforalmosttenyears. m TABLEOFCONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii ABSTRACT v CHAPTER INTRODUCTION:THE"NEWWOMAN"ANDTHE"NEWMAN 1 1 IMAGESOFMASCULINITYINOLIVESCHREINER'STHESTORYOFAN AFRICANFARMANDMONACAIRO'STHEWINGOFAZRAEL 12 TheStoryofanAfricanFarm(1883) 13 TheWingofAzrael(1889) 25 2 "NEWMANHOOD":THELOVERINGEORGEGISSING'STHEODD WOMENANDEMMAFRANCESBROOKE'SASUPERFLUOUS WOMAN 36 TheOddWomen(1893) 40 ASuperfluousWoman(1894) 49 3 'ANYTHINGBUTAMONSTER':NEWMENANDMARRIAGEINSARAH GRAND'STHEHEAVENLYTWINSANDTHOMASHARDY'SJUDETHE OBSCURE 64 TheHeavenlyTwins(1893) 69 JudetheObscure(1895) 74 4 MASCULINITYANDMEDICINEINSARAHGRAND'STHEHEAVENLY TWINSANDEMMAFRANCESBROOKE'SASUPERFLUOUS WOMAN 89 TAhSeuHpeerafvleunoluysTWwoinmsan(18(9138)94) 19033 EPILOGUE:MOVINGTOWARDSANEW"NEWMAN" 121 BIBLIOGRAPHY 125 BIOGRAPHICALSKETCH 129 iv AbstractofDissertationPresentedtotheGraduateSchool oftheUniversityofFloridainPartialFulfillmentofthe RequirementsfortheDegreeofDoctorofPhilosophy NEWMEN?:EXPLORINGCONSTRUCTIONSOFMASCULINITYINLATE NINETEENTFI-CENTURYNEWWOMANNOVELS By BarbaraTilley December2002 Chair; ElizabethLangland Cochair: PamelaGilbert MajorDepartment: EngUsh Thisdissertationfocusesonspecificrepresentationsofmasculinityina sub-genre,theNewWomannovel,thatexpUcitlyquestionsgenderstereotypes, roles,pohticalandculturalmovements,andchoicesthatwomenand,ultimately, menweremakingintheirhvesinlatenineteenth-centuryEngland. Iexamine themasculinefiguresofthelover,thehusband,andthedoctor,the"NewMen" whochallengeandre-negotiateprescribedgenderrolesastheyaredefinedin Victoriancultureandsociety. Theseparticularfiguresaremenwhoare intimatelyinvolvedwithwomen'sbodies,desires,andtheirsexuality. Inorder toanchorthisstudyhistorically,thisdissertationexaminescontemporary narrativesandarticlesfromthelatenineteenth-centurywhichexplorepertinent subjectsdealingspecificallywithmenandtheiropinionsaboutmarriage, bachelordom,womensrightsandtheNewWoman. Thisstudyarguesforand revealsaneedtospecificallyexaminetheheterosexualmale,amasculinefigure whoisoftenoverlookedbycontemporarycriticsasanunimportantand superfluouspartofthepatriarchalculture. V INTRODUCTION: THE"NEWWOMAN"ANDTHE"NEWMAN" TtphrheoedNwueocrweltMdhaeisnngeurwpowowinontgmhaeolnsdc,iettnceha.eny,saany;dbwuiltl,ifbirticnagn ReynellUpham TheCanadianMagazine,1894 Thisdissertationconcernstheimagesandconstructionsofmasculinityina selectgroupofNewWomannovelsofthe1880sand1890sofVictorianEngland. Althoughthefocusofthisstudyisonmen,Ibeginthisintroductionwithabrief lookatthehistoryanddefinitionsoftheNewWomanandthenovelwhich becamethevehicleforsomuchdebateinthelasttwentyyearsofthenineteenth century. Asaconcept,theNewWomanrepresentedacertainkindofwoman whoembracedadesiretobeeducated,topursueemployment,toexplore artisticandsexualfreedoms,andtochoosewhethertomarryortohave children. Becausethenatureofthesedesiresrequiredameasureofeconomic freedom,theNewWomantendedtobemiddle-andupper-class. In'The ChristeningoftheNewWoman:May1894"EUenJordanpointsoutthat"itwas Ouidawhoselectedoutthephrase"theNewWoman"andsupphedtheall- importantcapitalletters"(20). RespondingtoSarahGrand'sarticle'TheNew AspectsoftheWomanQuestion"inwhichGrandfocusesonthe"Bawling Brotherhood"anddefinesmenaseitherthosewhoareattractedtothe"cow- kindofwoman"orthosewhoare"influenced"bythe"scumofoursex,"Ouida declaredthat"theNewWomanisabove[man]"(quotedinJordan20). TheimageoftheNewWomaninfictionandthosewomeninreallifewho wereconsideredNewWomenbecauseoftheirinterestinpursuingwomen's 1 2 rightsandfreedomsinsideandoutsideofthehomebecamesynonymouswith politicalandsocialrebeUion. AfterOuidaidentifiedtheconceptofaNewWoman, severalcontroversieseruptedconcerningtheimportofthisnewimageof womanhood. Moreover,nowtherewasanimagetoequatewiththecauseofthe suffragemovementandanythinghavingtodowiththealreadyburgeoning "WomanQuestion." Thecontroversysurroundingthe"NewWoman"wasthe causeofmuchpohticalstrifeamongwomenwhodeclaredthemselvestobeeither femimstsoranti-femimsts. Menalsodeclaredthemselvestobeeithervehement supportersoradamantlyagainsttheNewWoman. Toundercutthestrengthofthis newimageofwomanhood,parodieswerewrittenthatmadeherintoagrotesque figure,awomanwithgrossphysicalfeaturesandlustfuldesires,orattheotherend ofthespectrumshewascharacterizedasovertlymasculineanddrawnasan"old maid"pasthersexualprime. Whatevercontroversythis"NewWoman"mayhavecausedsheneededa "NewMan"ahgnedtoher,fordespiteherlackofsexuahtyorherovertsexuahty shestiUremainedrestrictedbypatriarchaldefinitionsoffemininity;shemustbe pairedwithaman,whoiseithertobeherloverorherhusband. OnNovember24, 1894,sixmonthsafterthe"NewWoman"wasnamedbyOuida,theconceptsofthe NewMan"andthe"NewWoman"wereintroducedtogetherforthefirsttime. ThephraseinPunchreadsimply'TheNewMan.-Woman"(249). Althoughthe NewManwasnotdirectlyassociatedwiththeNewWomanuntilthismoment,his statuslikethatoftheNewWomanwas beingdebatedinmoresubtleformsinthe pagesofthepopularpressbeforethispairing. Narrativesandevenillustrationsof the"NewMan"appearedinvariousformsregularlythroughout1894insuch publicationsasPunch,TheSpeaker,andHarpersNewMonthlyMagazine.'' Moreover, thename NewMan"wasnotjustusedinpopularparodies,butwasincorporated mtomanyarticlesconcerningmenandconstructionsofmasculinityweUintothe ABalladeoRfotnhei^NPce"e®w*o^Mf**at^hnenhaNoreroaadtrivFeubstyucaronen)cU"enr(rn1ei8g9ne4gn),ethraeant"deN'MeTawhleeMCa"on(m1"p8l9a4ar)ie,n""tTToHHfEEaNNMEoEdWWeMMmAALNoN"ve(r"A 3 twentiethcenturyinsuchpubhcationsasTheCanadianMagazine,TheChurch QuarterlyRemew,theWestministerReview,andTheEnglishReview.^ TheNewManofthepopularpresswaspurposely createdtoparodythe figureoftheNewWoman. TheprominentcharacteristicsoftheNewMan presentedintheparodiesofthe1890sshowhimasmiddle-toupper-class, economicallystable,andintellectuallycurious. Althoughhemayappeartobemore thanshghtlyeffeminateincharacter,heisdecidedlyheterosexualandisalways portrayedaseitheraloverorahusbandtotheNew Woman. Inaddition,theNew ManinthepopularpressissometimesdefinedbyhisinabUitytocontrolhis emotions,hisflamboyantandexcessiveuseoflanguage,andhisphysicallyweak body. Inparticularnarratives,thisNewManattemptstouselanguageasadefining masculinetrait,yettheNewWomandefineshimalmostsolelybythehealthy purityofhisbody.Theimagesinthepopularpressthatcapturethistension betweentheNewManandtheNewWomanemphasizethesubmissiveand, therefore,fernininepositionofthemaninrelationtothepowerfulandcontrolling positionoftheNewWoman. Althoughthename"NewWoman"novelimphedthattheprimaryfocusof thesenovels'narrativescenteredonwomen,theywereactuallyconcernedwith bothmenandwomen,attimesfocusingmoreonmalecharactersthanfemale characters. Authoredbybothmenandwomen,theNewWomannovelintroduced andexploredradicalideasaboutmen'sandwomen'ssexuality,theirbodies,their ideasaboutmarriageandeducation,andtheirrelationshipstoandwitheachother. Infact,apreoccupationwiththefigureoftheheterosexualman,hismascuUnity,his body,hismoralandsocialbehavior,andhisrelationshipswithwomenwas 'Other,moreserioustitlesincludean1884textbyAndrewJukes,"TheNewManandtheEternal Life:NotesonthereiteratedAmensoftheSonofGod,"anarticlebyEmmaChurchmanHewitt 1cMa8al9nl7,ed'D"TeThdiehceNa'teeNwde,MwwaWinto.hm"oauTnth'peeirtnmeHirsemsri"oRNnee,lawttoiMotanhnet"oNetwhawes'WuNosemewdaMnian"tno'(1t"8h9e(41)e8,a9r7al)ny,dtRweEelylnnitesilPelatUhxpschoenanmtOu'brseyr"bhToyhlsetuzNcehePsw sMaaatunautdnNhd"OoyerlwbmsdyoMaSJsdta.ueOSndtlm.iieLvtlseooi"teSwedcroSihatrstrruckearuicewsnh,iseeaitrynnh.igdnathfhi'eenrNarleeelswlysaWaatyiopom"onasWehnomi"pmw.bareinIttntwae1enn9ed1in8nLta1ihbn9oo2Psr4eu"newn(cht1hi9o1ta1ls)ett,diuti"ldneTyawhtpehhpieNecaechlrwaseshdsWeicocsasmelaelasendndt"htteNohonetsehweeedMwNhefeoonrw 4 nowheremoreapparentduringthe1880sand1890sthanintheNewWoman novels. LiketheparodiesoftheNewWoman,thoseparodiesthatfocusedonan imageofheterosexualmasculinitycalledthe"NewMan"simplifiedareadingof manhoodbyapplyingstereotypeddefinitionsofmasculinitytomen. Writers parodyingthesetwofigurescapitalizedontheimageoftheNewWomanas masculineandmannishtomaketheNewManappearphysicallyeffeminateand emotionallyweak. TheeffeminateNewMan,portrayedinthepopularpress,rehed heavilyonanimageofmanhoodthatfocusedonthebodyanditsphysical inferiorityinrelationtotheNewWoman'softenimposingmasculinizedpresence. Moreover,theNewMantypicallyexertedverylittlephysicalenergyandwasoften showncryingandlamentingoverhisrelationshipwiththeNewWoman. Consequently,whenpairedtogetherasloversoraswifeandhusband,theNew WomanandtheNewManappearasidioticandclownish. InthesesameparodiesconcerningtherelationshipbetweentheNewMan andtheNewWoman,theNewWomanisconsideredtobewithoutsexualdesire andexhibitsstereotypicallymasculinecharacteristicsandbehavior,suchassmoking, drinking,goingtotheclub,andparticipatinginpoliticaldiscussions. Likethe masculineNewWoman,thefeminineNewMansuggestsaterribleandeven ominousthreattomalesexuality. TheNewWomanissaidtobemasculineand, therefore,sexuallyuninterestedinmen,whiletheNewManiseffeminateand ambiguouslyassociatedwithothermen. However,because"effeminate"isaterm thathadalessdirectconnectiontoconnotationsofhomosexualityinthenineteenth centurythanitdoestoday,theconstructionoftheseNewManimagesinthe popularpressrehedondescriptionsofaman'sbehaviorwithwomentostigmatize amanandmakehimappearinferiortohisNewWomanloverorwife. ThefigureoftheNewWoman,likethatoftheNewManparodiedinthe popularpress,representedonlyonewaytounderstandwomanhoodand, consequently,manhood,attheendofthecentury. Theimageofmanhood 5 representedbytheNewManinthepopularpresshasnolikenessintheNew Womannovelsofthe1880sand1890s. Althoughliketheparodies,theNew Womannovelsembraceaheterosexualdynamicinrelationshipsbetweenmenand women,thesenovelsfocusonanewkindofrelationshipbetweenamananda woman,onethatemphasizestheemotional,physicalandsexualfreedomsofeach individual.Unlikewritersinthepopularpress.NewWomanauthorssuchas GeorgeGissing,SarahGrand,ThomasHardy,MonaCaird,andOhveSchreiner portrayedtherelationshipsbetweentheNewWomanandamaleloverorhusband inmuchmorecomplexandsophisticatednarratives. Unliketheparodies,which definedmasculimtyinstereotypicalterms,theNewWomannovelssuggestthat therearemanywaysofdefiningandconstructingmenandtheirmasculinity. Issuesandquestionsconcerningaman'ssexuality,sexualbehavior,and moralintegrityarediscussedfrequentlyintheNewWomannovels. The controversialsubjectsofmaledegeneracy,eugenics,andhereditarydiseasesare emphasizedinmanyofthenovels.^ Insteadofawoman'ssexuaUty,sexualpast andbehaviorbeingdisputed,men'ssexuality,andsexualpastsarequestionedand exposedasproblematicandsuspect. Men'shvesareputunderthemicroscope,and menareexaminedtodeterminewhethertheyaresuitablemarriagepartnersor evenappropriatelovers. Myinterestinpursuingalengthystudyofparticularmasculinefiguresand constructionsofmasculinityintheNewWomannovelsofthe1880sand1890s originatesinreadingthecriticalmaterialavailableabouttheNewWomaninboth fictionandnon-fiction. DespitetherichanalysisconcerningthewomenintheNew Womannovels,Ibegantonoticethathttleattentionwaspaideithertothemenand thedefinitionsandconstructionsofmasculinity,ortothecomplexrelationshipsthat existbetweenmenandwomen. WritingabouttheNewWomannovels,critics havetraditionallyfocusedontheproductionandhteral"newness"ofanimageof womanwhichchallengedtheconceptsofmarriageandmotherhood. Insomeof L,allia (1895),andEmmaBrooke'sG"rTahnde'Ssup"eTrhfeluHoeuasvWenolmyaTnw"in(1s8"94()1.893),MenieMurielDowie's
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