19th Century American Women Writers

*Civil War-- *Emancipation Proclamation -- *Seneca Falls--1848 (First women's rights/ suffrage convention) National Women's Suffrage Association & American Women's Suffrage Association *Separate Spheres -- *Fugitive Slave Law -- 1850 made it illegal to help slave *Industrial Revolution *Reconstruction (1866-1870's)

*Slavery is from mothers side *One drop rule *Photography changed how people saw war *More Americans killed in this war than all other wars combined *1st Industrial war (Crucial to long length) *Dividing line in respects to literature *1831- Missouri Compromise *1850- Nat Turner - *1860- South Carolina seceded **1863 - emancipation proclamation *Women's suffrage 1920

*Were not taken Seriously (Nathaniel Hawthorne's Letter to Ticknor) *Oppressed *Pen Names *Women were separated by class, spheres, race *Common theme of a dead mother *Questioned about authorship

*Rhetoric of separate spheres (too simplified) *Separate spheres aren't as separate as we might think *Critiquing how we see separate spheres as a reality instead of an ideal *Casts out people because it is binary

*Network of women separate from the public sphere (Needed because of private spheres) *Relationships fostered self discovery and growth *Serious and deep relationships (deeper than marriage) *Relationships were equal unlike marriage *Letters and private correspondence (letter where husband said nice things and it was about depression) *Marriage culture shock- thrown into a man's world *Sensual rather than sexual

True Womanhood is a template-difficult to live up to *Those who do not fit the mold are ostracized even though true womanhood is unobtainable *Article is a critique on how woman should behave *Article shows the absurdity of the expectations and the double standards that result from them. 1.) Piety- Teach sons her religion God's nature it is preordained. (separate but equal paths) cannot be too educated (enough to read the bible) 2.) Purity- suggests it is also innate - benefit for men "greatest treasure" 3.) Submissiveness - Follow husbands command "order of the universe" Strength to be submissive (strong) 4.) Domesticity- Taking care of children / running the household.

*doesn't read as a legal case *lots of allusions and very little actual policy *Talks about human rights in general- abolition/ minorities *Beyond laws to religion *Education for women (Miranda is a living mind father treated her with equality) *Constructed boundaries *Strong mind is a masculine mind (when a women has any good traits they are attributed to be manly) *Men are under the slavery of habit *Changes the way we define intelligence *We can change by having and egalitarian marriage *Women need to be self dependent *Education is the foundation => self reliance => egalitarian relationship *Four years before women's rights movements?

*Modeled after the declaration of independence- similar complaints as the colonists had. *Points of the Hippocracy of the declaration of independence *Builds off the revolutionary nature of the document *Litany- lists what they did wrong. *Uses religion as an argument (God given happiness) *Woman is man's equal *Violation of those rights *Civilly dead, no right to vote, can't own property *Not equal in the eyes of the law *No college *Taxed as a single woman but can't get a job *Solution- work together legislation doesn't need to happen necessarily let women into church.

Who is a woman? What can she do? She has the power over men in the audience. Decade before the civil war. Calls out men in the audience.

*Death and mother hood -Sweet willy *Native american heritage *Nature *Form advanced * children

*Eliza Harris- Motherhood fear that comes with it escaping *The Slave Mother- motherhood grief and dread *Ethiopia- freedom / religion *Tennessee Hero- switch to a man different ways men are portrayed *Bury me in a Free Land-motherhood predater prey *Learning to read- how slaves were treated can't be educated

*Sentimental religions and suggests a change *One of the stories that sparked the Civil War Senator and Mrs. Bird Senator- humanizes (he has a moral dilemma (moral authority vs legal authority)) represents the reformed man Mrs. Bird- sympathetic white mother *Themes- motherhood, marriage, morality, economics, family *Mr. & Mrs. Shelby- working w/ slaves to delay search lost a lot of money and doesn't have a choice to sell. *Haley - uneducated and have no other choice

*Expectations of the title- romance, young girl meets a young man/ man loses girl/ girl decides guy is ok = marriage prescribed story *Starts with a resolution it is not prescribed it suggests the here and now. *Plot alludes that she is more than just a wife *Harry is not what is expected- encouraging, affectionate, love one another *Mother in law is the biggest Critic of Ruth - Who upholds true womanhood? -generational gaps / unhappy w/ Ruth's attitude/ home (mother in law a glimpse at what could have been) if you follow rules it doesn't lead to happiness *Ruth is true womanhood on the surface (no female supporters) *Love is the ultimate fulfillment - motherhood and marriage *Ownership of women- who is responsible for Ruth? Stuck she is civilly dead *Ruth is the most developed character. *Job searches can't sew, teach (not recommended doesn't have the same methods) *Stuck in a gray area

*Ruth followed true womanhood - put children/ family first - Morally superior - Truth above ll + independent + adoring public *Is Independence gone at the end with Mr. Walter? *Is Ruth rescued could she have done it w/out Mr. Walter? *Is she radical or typical - typically radical. *Highlights motherhood as a job and how she balances motherhood and a career of authorship.

- compare to war -sad? -locking her up is useless like trapping a bird civil war - compared to human auctions sin to sell people / ideas -ideas are degraded when they are published?

* Relates to Uncle Tom's Cabin and Fredrick Douglas's slave narrative *Motherhood is a big theme (what a mother would do to help her children (escape go into hiding buy their freedom defy social norms) *Non-fiction *Mrs. Bruce and Mrs. Bird *Slave life as a woman rather than a man *Talks directly to the audience * Appeals to mothers and white women, but she also boldly calls out the husbands of these women *Asks to not be judged *Authorship is a question

Characters based on Louisa's sisters. All women no men? Private scene opening (cult of true womanhood) Exaggerated sense of home and family and religion Dialogue driven relates to female relationships Book 1- moralistic childish pondering nothing much has happened didactic guide for young women Book 2- weddings marriage and homemaking grown into proper young women romance (motherhood) Realism within the novel- mundane daily life real life like the war conflict Real situations real people real endings and flawed characters

*Marriage plot happens before the story *Told back in time *We know she isn't going to get married *Conversation between them not important *marriage as a business transaction *Marks transition of options for women? *Love of domestic

*Directly related to Dr. Silas Weir Mitchell's rest cure - Gilman wrote it to make a change call to action end rest cure radical feminist writer *Hysteria and Neurastehnia uniquely women uterus zoomin around class based * Innocence of the descriptions and tone of the narrator *Journal format -shif and the end *Anti rest cure *Reliability?

*Civil war and reconstruction Jim Crow laws sharecropping and segregation *Ethnic identity in question n *Fantastic elements for a didactic purpose *Religion choice freedom and loyalty all connected *Marriage plot? *focus on community *Difference between culture and race *Radical argument

*mrs. mallard apart from her husband overwhelmed with opportunity *Independence tragic ending *heavy handed *relates to ruth hall (focuses on love and affection) more like new england nun *Assumption of women as delicate needs to be protected *Marriage as a business transaction *Women delicate *Joy that kills - (or loss of joy)

Beginning to end- goes from something that is expected and has to happen in order for happiness to more independent women and the idea of not needing a man. Expected played with the idea what would happen if a women lost her husband Jo doesn't end up with who we think she will New England Nun- married for love suggests a new kind of partnership The Story of an hour- literally dies because of lack of freedom