Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-11-01
Fhe WatcnmInOn Feminine Lite Ia
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The IIdtcfmqlt Of last week has an article
-der the caption - Feminine Literature
We supposed, from the title, the writer was
intending to speak Of the literature writ
-en bv women, and we presume he did take ui
his pen with some such purpose But in
--.aI u treating of books written by women.
aad rraising or condemning them according
9. their merits, he proceeds to condemn
women. because Charles Reade, Trollope and
EHkie Collins have in their novels made hero
ines 0f unlovely women; in other words he con-
lemns women, and the - influence Of women
in modern literature, because men write
crsatieral novels of bad moral tendency.
This is about rs Just as the complaint OF the
wolf that the !amb, which was below him Oh
the brook, was muddying the stream So
-hat it was not f5 for the wolf to drink.
.- is. IN iacr, as unfair to attempt to make
IS mcn Tesp0s sib'e for the writings Of Charles
lc, as il would be to condemn them
d-o Of the views Of the writer in the
imam. We have no doubt Relde and
writer, if they agreed upon no otbe=
..a- are entirely in harmony upon the
..-,iou of woman's sphere.
T4e writer in the Wafehman says
BE- must be conceded that this feminine
tendency iu our literature is not good alto
-.t.cr. And the evil that belongs to it II
rIlv that which we should expect Woman
emhJIie= our highest ideas of purity and re-
Huemcut The old fathers advocated the
-ureri1ritv OF women over men. because
Adam was formed out of the dust of the
earth. while Eve was made out Of living
material. Woman represents the private
iicef the race. Her ascc nd4ncy in literature
ought to mean the ascendancy Of N este
IDEAS. the assertion OF the Individual, not as
d hero. but as a family man, not az hero
rue but as am angel in the house. IL ought
-o mean the publication OF literature from
whatever is gross and sensuous, and the eS-
..au.n Of the private relations, the culture
u tile gentle cOurtesies of life
When men are the central characters in
teton 0r poetry. the movement Of the story
naturally strong, full Of conflict and pas
sion, and stirring with the fierce excItements
manly ambition and warfare. But when
--e incidents of the novel cluster around the
heroine. we should imagine that IL would
IeaI chiefly with the mild and bengnaDt
virtues 0f home with the beauties OF en-
--rluct and patience with the quiet graces
VS. t.e domestic world. War Is the cr0wnlng
n ~ of the hero. Purity and love are the
attractions of the heroine.
I.c writer is not speaking Of what women
~r.e. blt 9l what men write and by e the
feminine tendency in our literature be
-- le.-ir means the tendency Of male novel
l--- 90 give more prominence than formerly
10 ..4te characters. 1t is rather hard, how
e.ar. ,a arrai i1n all women. or even any
ISL .n, b.eause Charles Reade chooses toput
Some B. -aem among Lis characters, and
I-.r. -.ll- el suit hi- yn depraved ima%i-
-.-... Wien -Har author chooses u make
/. utle--ot bis novel turn upon b gamy, or
--.ferE. " both, It ls p { easy for him to DO
il "i- ut Introducing both men and women
ato bus I'.t who are equal 70 that crime
ar4 be need ID Z lave come down TO our times
t.- bis characters cII.I nave found
ea.u-l lf them iu the Old Testament, and
among those Who are rcckoned as authority
fNr thg -uh eeren 1f woman and man SOW
sre.-r-E. w.taJut selecting modern IN
stances
W,a5 nos quite sec how the Watetn an
can show taa1 q. woman ascendancy IN lit
oracure " ought "a mean anything more or
better 5bau mans azeendaney in literature
5gl5 t3meau We don't believe man has
any more divine license to be an adulterer or
a bi-tui,t ora sinner # any sort than
woman hts B3Jl ought 70 be pure, and
the irlunse of both in literature ought
d he pure Bat imrurity in the one
-Gaj being the judgc-can be no worse.