Author: eohara (Page 2 of 28)

The primary goal of this project is to take a previous paper from my English course ENG 216 titled “The Legal Ideal and its Irrefutable Detriments: In Conversation with Brontë and Bodichon” and provide an extension into the political theories and legal discourse that underlie what the literature and progressive thinkers of mid-Victorian England were grappling with. My previous paper was a response to how the realities of marriage as dictated by the law proved to be an immense misalignment. What can be understood when different branches of Victorian writing are employed? What through-lines emerge when the implicit connections of the law within Brontë’s novel are actualized by case law? In what ways were the political theorists and social reformers’ thinking informed by literature?

Through my in-depth examination of the various branches of writing and discourse of women’s rights and the confines of precedent within this period of mid-Victorian England, I will have highlighted that by identifying what was missing within my original paper, the political and legal sources, and thus incorporating them into this project, makes for a meaningful extension of my interests and subject knowledge within political science and legal analysis. For instance, this extension will draw from prominent political philosopher John Stewart Mill and his piece On the Subjection of Women and writer and social-reformer Frances Power Cobbe and her essay “Criminals, Idiots, Women, and Minors: is the Classification Sound? A Discussion on the Laws Concerning the Property of Married Women.” In addressing a few poignant primary documents such as examples of case law from the period 1850s-1860s and excerpts of parliamentary debates on the reform bills of marriage a divorce, I can illustrate the powerful lived experiences that parallel both the literary sources and theoretical.

Furthermore, it will provide a foundational framework for my additional research to draw upon this progressive moment of the mid-19th century regarding women’s legal status and challenging the operation of legal precedent as an essential historical context. In arguing that works of literature such as The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë can be read to provide a tangible reality of the result of oppressive laws, it offers connections to both the social and political activists of its era and that questions of equality are always evolving. This project also opens up incredible avenues for contemporary engagement in the law and proves that we must look to the same opportunities today to draw from the empathetic and humanistic nature of literature along with an array of contemporary political, feminist, and legal theorists to question and force the uncomfortable realities of the law’s shortcomings to be reconciled.

Journal #5: Reviewing Past Project Proposals 

#1 → “Can a Just God Allow Suffering?”(interdisciplinary studies in the humanities) 

I found this example of a capstone proposal to be very clear and direct which makes it easy for me to understand why this student is interested in this topic, the questions or a puzzle that they plan to work from, and what relevant skills they already have from coursework and what methods of aid are needed to continue. I also think that they did a good job of outlining the vast scope of the philosophical question of how can a just God allow suffering but then narrows down to this aspect of free will as a way to manageably go in depth to one aspect of this topic. However, it did make me wonder what prompted them to title their proposal “Can a Just God Allow Suffering” – I do think it makes sense but I wonder what it might have looked like if they were able to showcase that narrowing down into free will or maybe lend us as readers a clue that they aren’t trying to tackle this enormous principle but have an interesting point of interaction that raises their own argument. I also think there might have been room to get just a touch more in depth in what exactly they are trying to critique or raise in regards to this argument of free will – yet I understand not giving away the whole project itself. Perhaps for a reader like myself who might not be super familiar with those philosophical discussions, it could help to briefly quote that sparked some questions to the student and would strengthen the so what aspect of why they want to revisit these arguments and raise new ones. While reading this proposal and looking ahead to my proposal, I am thinking of how this student was able to draw from the course material they have taken outside of philosophy that helped frame this project and made a point to not just list the materials themselves but what they gained skill wise. Items they listed such as close reading, research methods, notes and familiarity with academic writing that can be drawn from for their project was really helpful for me to see how they incorporated those. 

#2  Research Proposal & Bibliography: Analyzing the Use of Animals in Popular Victorian Literature (English) 

To start, I find the topic of this really intriguing and in limiting their scope to just three novels and using that historical context of the Victorian period as an avenue to explore why cultural significance on animals was present during this one time in history allows for again a narrowed and detailed analysis. The central question of why literature uses animals is very broad but I do think that the unconventionality that those novels bring – for instance the idea of the creature as animal/human and the again cultural context of Mary Shelley and Victorian ideas surrounding animals – allows for the topic to become more manageable and not become lost in such a large question. One aspect of this proposal that I found compelling and might think about as I start to plan my abstract and proposal is how they incorporated possible responses – or negative critique – and addressed those concerns before someone might even air them. To me it shows you are comfortable with your knowledge of this area to anticipate what criticisms might be made and to showcase further that you have a specific goal in mind, sources/evidence, and can bring the focus back to that. One question or suggestion I might have in how this student could further improve this proposal would be to maybe lay out in a bit more detail those timetables and action plan – it is rather short and appears to rush in at the end and I know that I as a reader would have liked to hear more about the next portion of their project relating to this work in connecting the three novels. In what capacity? 

#3 → Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities 

The format of this proposal follows the second sample guidelines and has a very clear and well structured outline that delves into the specifics right from the beginning. Following this, I think a strength that is evident within this proposal is how well the student has thought about their project in the most condensed version which does allow us as a reader to understand the heart of this project and we can see that outlined in this question of what it means to attribute humanness to others within literature, history and social constricts. I do think that while the outline meets the general criteria from the guidelines, one way to develop this proposed argument even further would be to briefly discuss maybe one example of how literature addresses this question and maybe a bit of commentary on how that sparked further questions and interest for this student that ties into that deeper understanding from their courses. I am thinking about how we make room for extending our projects and creating space to do something new and expansive – from this proposal I feel it reads more like a revisiting of an interest and I might be missing the explanation which I am sure the student has explored further in this project but it would be nice to get a glimpse of how this topic answers something their courses or other experiences didn’t. I also wondered if in this proposal it was appropriate to include specific primary source materials or to just state what kind of source material will be utilized. I think it would be helpful if applicable to maybe cite an example or two that could really connect with those comments made about those questions that arose through certain course materials and experiences and could in a way address my other observation for development above.

The prompt for essay from ENG 216:

Choose one of the non-fictional pieces we have read so far this semester and one scene, chapter, or passage from the novel. Compare and/or contrast the way women are characterized in each, paying special attention to the assumptions each work seems to be making.Be sure that you bring your comparison to a point. You should develop an analytical claim, identify a focus for discussion, and explain why both matter. Your introduction should conclude with a statement like the following: By analyzing [name your focus], I will argue that [state your interpretive claim], which is important because [answer the “so what?”].

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

• To what extent does its depiction of men (as sons, brothers, husbands, friends), their expectations regarding women, their conversations about them, or their behavior towards them seem connected to the legal ideal?

• In what ways do the women in the novel seem to embody the legal idea of women as presented in our non-fictional readings? Non-fictional works include Bodichon’s Plain Summary, Cobbe’s “Criminals, Idiots, Women and Minors” and Bronte’s Preface to the novel.

• How do the women in the novel show acceptance of or resistance to the legal ideal? If readers are supposed to side with Helen, are they also supposed to view all her actions equally favorably? To what extent does the novel endorse challenges such as hers to the law?

Google Doc copy of my essay with comments/questions as a place to continue working from:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u-HbgnKu60Bs4oyNaArJVzsArUfNxxw5R-oiwPgXeOo/edit

In thinking about what aspect of this past work I want to extend and make room for further exploration that reflects the skills I have gained since this project, I want to be able to go further in depth in the theories of other Victorian writers/thinkers for more context. By narrowing in on the conversation around marriage, which is obviously central to the legal implications Helen faces in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, can extend from my piece that argues the ideal of marriage stipulated in the law does not match reality, to one that asks why WAS this the reality? For instance, what did the parliamentary debates say on matters such as coverture? Who were the political theorists writing and speaking on this subject. In that, I can employ the work of J.S. Mill and his take on what marriage was meant to achieve and why the law had to require it in order to meet certain ends? Specifically, his arguments within his essay “The Subjection of Women.” What other systems of laws surrounding marriage had been attempted or proposed? (Extending further from Bodichon here)

ENG 216 Essay: The Legal Ideal and its Irrefutable Detriments: In Conversation with Brontë and Bodichon 

“The extent to which the novel exemplifies and personifies certain legal models versus that of the reality for women poses a significant challenge when evaluating just what the law was supposed to achieve. Brontë’s novel allows us to work through those legal restraints on a woman’s individuality in a fictional setting and, accompanied by Bodichon’s remarks, forces us to grapple with those unrealistic expectations of love, protection, and marriage in a world where women are unseen in the eyes of the law.”

“The Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857 might have been present or in the works during Brontë’s time, but it was not in the 1820s where The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is set. Knowing this, we can begin to understand the drastic measures that Helen must take to remedy the wrongdoings against her, such as Mr. Huntington’s infidelity, but also keep in mind her lack of agency over her child. Brontë, through a fictional narrative, can look back to a time without such reforms and options for women to stress the importance of society in progress further.” 

“While the laws may hold up one perfect and idealistic rendition of marriage and all the subsequent circumstances that follow, public sentiments began to ponder how and why their everyday problems were not reflected in the law.”

“Brontë’s novel, coupled with non-fictional works of later reform activists like Bodichon and Cobbe, expertly uncovers the ensnarement women are subjected to via the role of marriage and child custody in the legal system while illuminating the necessity for hypothetical, unattainable ideals to make way for women.”

• This past project makes the most sense to me in considering the ways in which the other areas of Victorian law and literature can expand out of just one novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë, and one non-fiction prose, Barbra Leigh Smith Bodichon’s piece “A Brief Summary in Plain Language of the Most Important Laws Concerning Women: Together with a Few Observations Thereon
• The idea that my essay contends with is how a novel was able to allow society to embody this woman’s life which follows the correct course that the law affords women – get married and have children. Yet, through the course of the novel we can witness the abuse, verbal and physical, the economic confines and that idealistic rendition of marriage that the law of this era recognized is not in line with the realities women may face.
• Where I would want to expand upon is looking into this period that became an era of social change through the law and what other sources of literature, case law, legislation, etc. brought it about. What were the reactions to Brontë’s novel and what were the leaders of this discourse saying about those literary embodiments of women outside of the law?

HIS 278: Women in the Ancient World

” Through inquiry into the traditional scope of the Laws, the only mention of women was denoted to their submission to patriarchal rule and limited rights under guardianship. By researching Roman women’s domestic duties and daily lives, including familial, religious, and other social relationships, I can draw out areas where they had agency and power over themselves and others around them.”

“While we do not have access to all of the laws, as mentioned previously, the selection we do have access to implies that the only mention of women was to set a precedent in the legal system that the positions they had were incumbent upon men’s decisions. For instance, under Table V. Inheritance and Guardianship, the law states, “…Women, even though they are of full age, because of their levity of mind shall be under guardianship…” (Lefkowitz & Fant,174).”

Benchmark #1 Notes: Faculty Meeting 10/9

• The project → written essay – revision of my essay from ENG 216: The Legal Ideal and its Irrefutable Detriments: In Conversation with Brontë and Bodichon 
• How to make this project a smaller scale than the honors project
  • Thinking more about this idea of how literature can come into play when the law no longer feels secure in protecting one’s needs/rights → maybe that can be the entry point where we look to that Victorian literature before women had legal personalities and that was there way to showcase justice/empathy for those outside of the law → NOW we are entering a period where certain legal safeguards are slipping backwards → is it time now to turn back to literature in order to not repeat those same patterns → That precedent can be a major agent of change as it was when those laws started to come about in the Victorian era regarding women yet now they seem to have become a source of confinement and grounds to continue patriarchal norms 
  • Catalyze change
    • Embodiment of implications of the law 
    • Child custody → caroline norton (1839 act) – Bradshaw 
    • OR gaskell (1853) Ruth and mercy and justice → In the novel versus in the case law
    • Cobbe, Bodichon → J.S Mill the subjection of women → examining the subjection of women → very logical approach → what explains the condition of women at the time – justice, expediency, reasons for marriage – men don’t make marriage attractive enough – reason its required is no one wants to do it (domesticity) *(1869)
      • Have we ever tried any other way ?
      • Comparison between different mode of constituting society → between the two sections – look to chapter one
        • Equality argument and supposed to effect a general progress → Bodichon looks at other parts of Europe and family 
        • Where men get their ideas of women (mother and wives)
          • Look to literary women → how do literary women express and write about – George elliot and Bodichon come in as the context of what Mills is exposed to 
        • What men fear → how that translates into funneling women into marriage (middle class option) 
      • Gaskell not meant to be historical fiction like Brontë’s novel was (mid victorian century) (1847-1869) middle point where this legislation comes into play
        • Married women’s property acts
        • Child custody 
        • Divorce and matrimonial → probate and not religious 
      • Looking for a way to bring sources together so that a snapshot of this moment of actual reform 
    • Primary materials
      • parliamentary debates (transcripts through Millbank – Houses of Parliament records database – Hansards entity that published those reports) 
      • Non-fiction prose Mills, Bodichon, Cobbe 
      • Fictional novels Brontë/Gaskell 
    • Why am I going back to this period? → this is the precedent (common precedent reference – precedential idea of conservatism)
      •  Looking at this middle period of change in the courts and started with Bodichon and then Bronte 
    • Look at Mill and grab that part about literary women and what are they doing and why did people HATE the Tenant of Wildfell Hall
      • That archival version was one source and one novel and now they are exemplary but opened up those bigger questions
        • Bring in Mills 
• Mills offer a point of expansion where we ask what where those examples of the literary women