.
Addressed to the women of the audience, Ruskin gives a contradictory and enigmatic description of the role of a woman; in the first paragraph of Sesame and Lilies he states that both sexes are equal but not alike, and that one is not superior to the other. He then goes on to explain that as opposed to the role of a man, his duty being intellectual, "for speculation and invention" and physical, "for war" and "battle", (Para 2), the wife's place is in the home to "secure its order, comfort, and loveliness", (Para 6). Where he states that both sexes are equal, he makes a clear distinction between the strong intellectual male and the weaker, fairer sex who is protected by her husband.
In paragraph 13 Ruskin then goes on to represent the woman as a "Queen" in her household, to rule in her own home and to care for, "feed and clothe" and to morally guide, "direct and teach" her husband and sons. Ruskin believes the wife must stay at home and "shut yourselves within" and let the man do the fighting, she must support him and rule their minds rather than in physical way, the husband must do the fighting because it is in "their nature". .
The man prefers the wife to stay at home and be a good mother, to be "tender and delicate" (para 14). It is a safe haven for the man; an escape from the horrors of the world outside the home; greed and murder are some of the examples Ruskin gives. .
Ruskin's tone of voice changes from didactic to moralistic, in paragraphs 15 and 16 where he takes on a more poetic mode, " the harebells should bloom, not stoop,-, he refers to flowers in the garden rather than her husband and sons, (para 15). He tells us that with the woman's protection and her constant love of all that she cherishes around her in the garden, her home, she can make everything " bloom" and repel the bad things in life. Ruskin explains that the woman could use her power to make all in her garden right, to flower and blossom with a quote from the Song of Solomon, 4:16, "Come, though south, and breathe upon my garden, that the spices of it may flow out".
The Victorian Era is no exception. ... However, its most prominent influence has perhaps been on contemporary literature. ... First of all, Victorian society was one marked by class distinctions. ... As in the Victorian Age, these three classes in the novel also have marked differences. ... Another important feature of prisons in the Victorian Age was the Newgate Prison. ...
Victorian literature had a grandiose sense to it. Extravagance played a huge part in Victorian literature as well. ... The Victorian era, however, took a toll on their light hearted literature, it exploited the aspects of that century, its changes, the positive and negative outcomes of these changes, and how it affected the society and the lives of the Victorians. Although the content of the literature changed, the romance, extravagance and richness in the literature was still present in their writings. ... In spite of the uncertainty of terminology, there are some concrete statements that on...
Women in the Victorian Society as reflected in The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles ž What are we faced with in the nineteenth century? ... Indeed, the Victorian Woman is fixed in our minds in a series of strikingly different, often mutually exclusive, images. ... The French Lieutenant's Woman, though žexactly mid-Victorian in setting and subject matter is not regarded by critics as a historical novel and yet the images of its heroines presented appear to be quite close to the true portrait of a Victorian Woman. ... Ernestina can also serve as a typi...
It is characterized by rapid growth and extreme change in politics, literature, science, social class, and economy. ... Families were larger during the Victorian Era. ... The British Empire also saw a transformation and expansion in literature during the Victorian Era. ... Education was also a major aspect of the Victorian Era. ... Science also saw some expansion during the Victorian Era. ...
The end of the Restoration ushered in a new era of English literature. ... Amongst his works, Oliver Twist is a vivid interpretation of Victorian life and society. ... Such ideas apparently sprung from the Victorian novels" complaints at the social order. ... These works paved the way for the future avant-garde literature. ... The works of all the authors from the eras of Romanticism to Victorian to Modernism undoubtedly had their share in changing the society leading to the next generation of post-modern literature. ...
The Victorian Period (1870 v/s 1900) The Victorian age can be described as the age of transition, which by definition has a dual aspect when change is revolutionary: destruction and reconstruction. The Victorians recognised that they were breaking down the systems of: Christian orthodoxy under the rule of the church, civil government under the rule of the king and nobility, the social structure of fixed classes, each with its recognised rights and duties and the economic organisation. ... The Victorians reacted to their age with hope and dismay, optimism and anxiety. ... Social: The gro...
Marriage did not secure women the same right with men; however, was a norm that devised structures for judging women in Victorian society. Fletcher in his book The History of English Literature argues that Victorian respectability hides the importance of sexuality in the love relationship in a dark cupboard. ... Rossetti viewed the Victorian marriage market as a place of competition and betrayal. ... In Victorian society women were looked as being devoid of passions or desires. ... " As all the available Victorian structures proves a failure, where women are turned into potential victims...
Regionalism author Kate Chopin and Victorian poet Robert Browning have masterfully created literature classics depicting the plight of humanity. ... In My Last Duchess, Browning has the Duke dictate "Sir, ˜twas not Her husband's presence only, called that spot Of joy into the Duchess' cheek " questioning her joyous blush as painted in the portrait by Fra Pandolf within Victorian era societal expectations, yet the Duchess was left alone with Pandolf. ... Despite Chopin and Browning's different literary ties, Regionalism and the Victorian era respectively, they both masterf...