Domination of the Innocent Female in Eliza Fenwick’s Secresy :: Essays Papers

Domination of the Innocent Female in Eliza Fenwicks SecresyEliza Fenwicks novel Secresy portrays the image of an innocent female that is kept locked up and out of the mixer world the problems that arise when this innocent female attempts to break out of this social location reveals the major oppressiveness of the female order in the late eighteenth century. Females are kept in their own social sphere through oppression by males, and when secluded females enter into male spheres they can non breakure this change and end up severely damaged or dead. Eliza Fenwicks Secresy shows the seclusion, oppression, escape, and death of Sibella, the innocent female.Eliza Fenwicks Secresy clearly shows a seclusion of the innocent female, Sibella. Sibellas seclusion from society is a prevalent theme in late eighteenth century literature a theme of public work force and private women (Stafford 138). The idea is that men are expected to be part of more social locations than the domestic and contro llable women. Many proper female writers at the time felt that women should not be a part of a laic society as Wakefield firmly stated it is inadmissible for women to mix in the public haunts of men, and women should not risk of exposure their delicacy, reserve, and moral purity by venturing into a laic society (Stafford 139). Women should not be a part of this male society and the only safe posterior for young women is domestic privacy secluding themselves from the haunts of the worldly society and protecting themselves from the faults of public men (Stafford 139). Sibella is fully secluded from society she has very little outside touch sensation and is almost a pure example of domestic privacy. Not having a worldly education, Sibella is kept in seclusion and does not understand social industrial plant she therefore relies on her only friend to reveal the workings of the world to her. Caroline Ashburn is Sibellas only friend and is fully exposed to a worldly society from the beginnings of her life therefore, she is not innocent in the sense of Sibellas location and can deal with the male society. Caroline reveals the world to Sibella and exposes Sibella to her own oppression by the dominant male figures in her life. The revelation of Sibellas oppression to herself begins a process of rebellion against her oppressors in an effort to enjoy a worldly society.Sibella is considered irrational by her oppressor, her Uncle Valmont.