Sex, Gender, & Sanity

"Jealousy and disquiet were unknown among us; nor did a fear
or hope of change ever disturb our tranquility" (90).
M. Shelley's The Last Man (1826)

Points for Reflection

M. Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), PDF

1. what elements of the predominant “false system of education” (1) does Wollstonecraft take issue with most?
2. why does Wollstonecraft so caustically denigrate the traditionally positive characteristics of “susceptibility of heart, delicacy of sentiment,” “elegance,” and “beauty” (2)?
3. why does Wollstonecraft “disdain to cull [her] phrases or polish [her] style” (3)?
4. Wollstonecraft disparages the majority of middle-class women who end up in marriages by comparing them to women in what profession?
5. is Wollstonecraft concerned only with the intellectual, emotional, and social status of women, or does she also attend to the spiritual ramifications of their current condition?
6. why does she dislike the word “masculine”?
7. in addition to their enervating effect on the intellect, “artificial weaknesses” practiced by women presumably lead to what problems within marriage?
8. instead of preoccupying themselves with the search for pleasure and adventure, Wollstonecraft believes women of her era should instead pursue what?
9. does Wollstonecraft criticize or support her contemporaries’ fascination with sensibility? How does Samuel Johnson define this term?
10. do you agree with the following claims (and rhetorical questions) made by Wollstonecraft?
    • “love and esteem are very distinct things” (15)
    • “Without knowledge there can be no morality!” (15)
    • There is “not a trace of the image of God in either sensation or matter. Refined seventy times seven, they are still material; intellect dwells not there . . .” (15)
    • “the welfare of society is not built on extraordinary exertions; and were it more reasonably organized, there would be still less need of great abilities, or heroic virtues” (16)
    • “till hereditary possessions are spread abroad, how can we expect men to be proud of virtue?” (16)
11. do any of the problems identified by Wollstonecraft still characterize western society today?

M. Shelley's The Last Man, chp. 6-9

1. does this novel contain events that are too intense to be the mere imaginings of a creative novelist? Are there, that is, moments where one feels one is reading about an experience that probably characterized the life of Mary Shelley herself—something she was so close to that she had difficulty maintaining an objective distance from her narrative? Consider moments where Lionel uses overly elevated diction to idealize an emotion or character, as well as moments where he shifts in the opposite direction and describes an incredibly painful emotional experience.
2. what role does one's appearance play in establishing character, emotion, and thought in this novel?
3. does today's reading reiterate or contest the connection between insanity and love introduced earlier in the novel?
4. as suggested by Mary Shelley’s variable use of the words “mad” and “insane,” what constitutes “madness”? Is it a permanent or temporary state? Are only certain kinds of people likely to experience it? Is madness always harmful?
5. does the mother of Adrian and Idris betray any good qualities that would humanize her and take the edge off her villainy?
6. what is the nature of Raymond's internal struggle? Does the decision he finally makes seem consistent with his character?
7. does Raymond ultimately come across as hero or anti-hero? Does he gain or lose our sympathies as we move through today's reading?
8. does Mary Shelley's intensely idealized description of the happy days and years shared by Lionel and company strike you as romantic or schmaltzy?
9. Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem “mutability” identifies the plenteous changes that characterize human life, but he avoids applying either an overtly celebratory or unmistakably despairing tone to the poem. Does Mary Shelley do the same in this novel, or is change given a positive or negative character?
10. Percy Bysshe Shelley had a great faith in the powers of science to improve the human condition and help bring about a more ideal society. Does Mary Shelley share her husband’s optimism?
11. which woman seems a better match for Raymond, Perdita or Evadne?
12. does Perdita grow into the kind of ideal woman envisioned by Wollstonecraft?
    
    
    
    Mortlake Terrace (1826)
    J. M. W. Turner
    

Dr. Paul Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu