{"id":67,"date":"2014-12-12T04:04:25","date_gmt":"2014-12-12T09:04:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl359-f14\/?p=67"},"modified":"2014-12-12T04:04:39","modified_gmt":"2014-12-12T09:04:39","slug":"romancing-the-novel-applying-huet-to-the-female-quixote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl359-f14\/uncategorized\/romancing-the-novel-applying-huet-to-the-female-quixote\/","title":{"rendered":"Romancing the Novel: Applying Huet to “The Female Quixote”"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Ariel Chu<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In The History of Romances<\/span>, Pierre Daniel Huet argues that romances obscure truth by substituting reality with dishonest, pre-modern \u201cFictions\u201d (Huet, 123). Charlotte Lennox’s The Female Quixote<\/span> appears to support this claim: by criticizing a modern woman who clings to antiquated romantic conventions, The Female Quixote<\/span> exemplifies Huet\u2019s idea that a \u201cprimal\u201d belief in romance is a hindrance to modernity. However, The Female Quixote<\/span> itself uses the framework of a classic romance to convey its message, complicating Huet\u2019s assertion that romances are inherently \u201cdishonest\u201d and irrational. While both Huet and The Female Quixote<\/span> acknowledge the absurdity of romances, Huet\u2019s dismissal of the genre is contradicted by The Female Quixote<\/span>\u2019s success in using a romantic framework to offer rational social commentary.<\/p>\n

Initially, The Female Quixote<\/span> seems to support Huet\u2019s idea that romance is the discursive mode of primal, pre-modern societies. The novel\u2019s conceit hinges upon the \u201cfoibles\u201d of its protagonist, Arabella, a noblewoman who has been raised in rural isolation as a result of her father\u2019s desire to abandon the city. Described as a \u201csimple\u201d countrywoman who disregards Christianity, Arabella can be viewed as an example of one of Huet\u2019s \u201cprophane,\u201d primal individuals. Removed from urban England and the \u201cmodernity\u201d that it symbolizes, Arabella is forced to use her library of French romances \u201cas real Pictures of Life, from [which] she draws all her Notions and Expectations\u201d (Lennox, 19). Just as Huet claims that fiction is the flawed method by which pre-modern societies sought to gain an understanding of the world, so Arabella treats her fictional romances as \u201cHistories\u201d from which she gains the idea that \u201cLove [is] the ruling Principle of the World\u201d (Lennox, 19). This fundamental \u201c[addiction] to Poetry, Invention, and Fiction\u201d (Huet, 16) accounts for Arabella\u2019s inability to comprehend modern society in her later years, strengthening Huet\u2019s belief that primal societies were unable to attain modernity because of their intrinsic reliance on irrational storytelling.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Arabella\u2019s \u201cpre-modern\u201d sensibilities are exemplified not only by her physical distance from the city, but also by her cultural distance from modernity. Lennox frequently describes Arabella as \u201cunconcerned with her appearance;\u201d she wears a veil to \u201cpreserve her modesty\u201d instead of being concerned with modern fashions. Arabella is also dismissive of \u201cthe usual Topicks of Conversation among young Ladies\u201d (Lennox, 402) and, upon her forays into Bath and London, experiences ridicule due to \u201cThe Singularity of her Dress\u201d and her romantic inclinations. These attributes further solidify Arabella as one of Huet\u2019s \u201cprimal\u201d and pre-modern figures. Furthermore, Arabella\u2019s idolization of figures outside of classical antiquity validates Huet\u2019s belief that the romance genre has its origins in dishonest paganism. Arabella extolls the \u201cfair and virtuous glory\u201d (Lennox, 126) of the \u201cwhore\u201d Cleopatra, uses a pagan Amazonian princess as a model for conduct, and defends romance authors for \u201c[delivering] down to Posterity the heroic Actions of the bravest Men, and most virtuous of Women\u201d (Lennox, 79) outside of the Classical canon. Her praise of these figures, who are either mocked or not recognized by Arabella\u2019s peers, cements her foolishness in the eyes of the other characters. Thus, Arabella\u2019s idolization of non-Classical figures further alienates her from a grasp on the modern world, further supporting Huet\u2019s assertion that romances are inherently harmful due to their dishonest pagan origins.<\/p>\n

Huet does believe that there are \u201cgood\u201d romances\u2014that is, narratives that have \u201cmoral instruction\u201d as their primary aim. However, Huet also believes that romances are dangerous in that readers are liable to interpret fiction as actual \u201cHistories,\u201d which impedes their understanding of what has actually occurred in the world. Huet\u2019s fears are realized in Arabella\u2019s attempts to apply her fictional ideals to 18th<\/sup> century interactions. For instance, Arabella\u2019s belief in antiquated \u201cSubjects of Love and Gallantry\u201d (Lennox, 145) causes her to call for the banishment and death of her prospective suitors, much to the shock of her peers. Arabella\u2019s obstinacy not only prevents her from acting in accordance to social conventions, but also keeps her from accepting the viewpoints of other learned individuals. Even when challenged by her experienced uncle, a war veteran, Arabella maintains the truth of a story in which a \u201cMaster only of a single Sword\u2026 disposed the Destinies of Monarchs by his Will\u201d (Lennox, 239). In an even more egregious example, Arabella successfully persuades a historian \u201cwho has read no Authors, but the Antients\u201d into believing that one of her fictional romances actually chronicles a \u201cPiece of History\u201d that has \u201cescaped his observation\u201d (Lennox, 302). By showing how ridiculous this conflation of imagination and history can be, Lennox and Huet both propagate the idea that romances are capable of using \u201cdishonest\u201d fictions to obscure reality.<\/p>\n

Moreover, The Female Quixote<\/span> views Arabella\u2019s process of reforming into a \u201cmodern,\u201d rational woman as the primary aim of the narrative. In the same way that Huet mourns that \u201c’Genius\u2026 is disposed and addicted to Poetry, Invention, and Fiction\u201d (Huet, 16), other characters refer to Arabella\u2019s romantic inclinations as her \u201cone foible,\u201d bemoaning that \u201chad she been untainted with the ridiculous Whims [that romances] created in her Imagination,\u201d she would be \u201cone of the most accomplished Ladies in the World\u201d (Lennox, 67). Accordingly, Arabella\u2019s romantic nature is seen as the only flaw hindering her from entering modern society, marrying Mr. Glanville, and inheriting the entirety of her father\u2019s estate. The end of The Female Quixote<\/span> thus shows Arabella\u2019s \u201creformation\u201d after a debate with her physician, which leads her to see the merits of accepting modernity. To reward her for her change of heart, Lennox writes that Arabella and her lover Mr. Glanville are afterwards \u201cunited\u2026in every Virtue and laudable Affection of the mind\u201d (Lennox, 428), absent of the \u201cfoibles\u201d of Arabella\u2019s romantic delusions. This conclusion seems to be in alignment with Huet\u2019s argument, as it shows how Arabella\u2019s ability to eschew romance and come to \u201crational\u201d terms with the world has ushered her into a state of advantageous modernity.<\/p>\n

However, The Female Quixote<\/span> is more than a simple reiteration of Huet\u2019s ideas. While Lennox\u2019s portrayal of Arabella seems to be in alignment with Huet\u2019s complaints about the absurdities of romance, The Female Quixote<\/span> itself is written in a romantic style. In other words, the very genre that Huet criticizes is the genre that Lennox employs to make a rational and logical observation of Arabella\u2019s \u201cfoibles.\u201d Rather than criticizing romance through Huet\u2019s idea of straightforward \u201cmoral instruction,\u201d The Female Quixote<\/span> adopts and parodies familiar tropes to expose Arabella\u2019s ignorance and the absurdity of viewing the world through a romantic lens. In this way, Lennox successfully harnesses the style and framework of romance in order to create rational social commentary, a possibility that Huet does not consider in his critique of the genre.<\/p>\n

Throughout the novel, Lennox turns common romance tropes into compelling arguments for Arabella to seek rationality. Huet states that romances “have Love for their Principal Subject, and don’t concern themselves in War or Politicks” (Huet, 8). In accordance with this definition, The Female Quixote<\/span> focuses on the romantic relationship between Arabella and her suitor Mr. Glanville, who seeks to \u201creform\u201d her. It is through the promise of marrying Mr. Glanville that Arabella sees a positive consequence to eschewing her antiquated beliefs; therefore, in contrast to Huet\u2019s argument, the \u201cirrational\u201d romantic conceit of \u201clove\u201d is used not as a means of obscuring the truth, but rather as a motivation for embracing reality. In addition, Lennox is guilty of propagating falsehoods\u2014like Arabella, Lennox attempts to convince readers that fictional persons and events once existed. For instance, Lennox attempts to provide readers with the illusion of historical accuracy by censoring names for \u201cprivacy\u201d (\u201cCountess of —–\u201d). Yet, rather than being \u201cdishonest,\u201d this imitation of reality serves as a textual contrast to Arabella\u2019s \u201cfictions,\u201d setting up a \u201creal world\u201d that eventually proves more compelling than Arabella\u2019s romantic ideas. Thus, while Lennox\u2019s focus on love and imitation of historical fact are the hallmarks of traditional romance that Huet abhors, these hallmarks are not used as accessories to Arabella\u2019s folly, but rather as ways of guiding Arabella in the direction of rationality.<\/p>\n

In addition, Lennox satirizes familiar romance tropes in order to provide commentary not only about Arabella\u2019s irrationality, but about the nature of fiction in general. For instance, while Mr. Glanville seems to be introduced as the archetypal lover who pines after Arabella, he is no less \u201cdisposed to laugh at the strange Manner in which she [receives] his Expression of Esteem for her\u201d (Lennox, 47). By setting up seemingly familiar archetypes, Lennox is then able to expose the absurdity of romantic narratives by having the characters themselves acknowledge the \u201cfolly\u201d of their situation. The chapter names within the novel also parody the drama of a romance, detailing, with mocking emphasis, the \u201cadventures\u201d and \u2018stupendous Instances of Valour\u201d that occur in Arabella\u2019s commonplace life. Ultimately, both Arabella\u2019s absurd actions and Lennox\u2019s own overly-dramatic narrative style expose the absurdity of portraying the mundane \u201creal world\u201d through the lens of overwrought fiction. By adopting the style of romance with satirical intent, Lennox is able to use \u201cromance\u201d as a method of valid critique in a way that Huet never considered in his criticism of the genre.<\/p>\n

There is yet another way in which Lennox and Huet differ in their approaches to romance: while The Female Quixote<\/span> does not overtly endorse romance, it acknowledges that fiction and reality can coexist and learn from each other. This viewpoint is embodied by Arabella\u2019s physician, who, in advising Arabella to become \u201cequally acquainted with both\u201d (Lennox, 424) romance and reality, is able to help Arabella reconcile her fantasies with real life. Furthermore, the juxtaposition that Lennox creates between Arabella\u2019s fantastical notions and the true nature of society allows Lennox not only to observe 18th<\/sup> century English society, but also to criticize it by using romance as a basis of comparison. For instance, Arabella\u2019s foil, Miss Glanville, is described as \u201cenvious\u201d and vain in contrast to Arabella\u2019s own \u201cgenerous\u201d personality. While Miss Glanville is relatively urbane and spends much of her time talking about \u201cWinnings and Losings at Brag, the Prices of Silks,\u201d and \u201cthe newest Fashions\u201d (Lennox, 402), Arabella\u2019s modesty and wit\u2014honed by years of reading the romances that Huet condemns\u2014actually endears her to the other characters. While Miss Glanville\u2019s actions seem far more typical of 18th<\/sup> century society than do Arabella\u2019s delusions, the narrative appears to favor Arabella\u2019s \u201cWit and Good Sense\u201d (Lennox, 367) over the \u201cinsipid Discourse\u201d (Lennox, 402) of more cosmopolitan women. Though Arabella is mocked for her worship of pagan figures and adherence to ancient \u201cLaws of Romance,\u201d her virtuous principles still place her above the other women of her time. As a result, The Female Quixote<\/span> contradicts Huet\u2019s belief that modern narratives are superior to romances due to their alleged rationality and morality.<\/p>\n

Contrary to Huet\u2019s belief that romances obstruct the \u201ctruth\u201d of human experience, The Female Quixote<\/span> is able to relay an accurate depiction of 18th<\/sup> century England even while employing a framework of romance. By placing a depiction of \u201cnormal\u201d life against a backdrop of Arabella\u2019s absurd beliefs, Lennox is able to emphasize the rational nature of modern society while still retaining traditional elements of romance. Additionally, by purposefully adopting a romantic language and narrative style to describe ordinary scenarios and characters, Lennox proves that \u201cromance\u201d can be harnessed in the form of satire to make meaningful social commentary (in this case, to criticize the absurdity of portraying life through the lens of fiction). Finally, the ensuing juxtaposition between Arabella\u2019s idealistic fictions and the comparatively cynical nature of reality allows Lennox to criticize aspects of modernity, contradicting Huet\u2019s assertion that contemporary narratives trump the irrationality of past romances. Therefore, while the plot of The Female Quixote<\/span> echoes Huet\u2019s disdain for romances, the framework of the novel challenges Huet\u2019s assertion that romances cannot succeed in providing accurate portrayals and critiques of society. Instead of \u201c[forsaking] the Study and Speculation of [the truth]\u201d (Huet, 123), as Huet suggests, The Female Quixote<\/span> is a \u201cromance\u201d that analyzes the nature of the real world by comparing it with the ridiculousness of fiction.<\/p>\n

References:<\/strong>
\n1. Huet, Pierre-Daniel. The History of Romances: An Enquiry into Their Original; Instructions for Composing Them; an Account of the Most Eminent Authors; …Written in Latin by Huetius; Made English by Mr. Stephen Lewis. London: Printed for J. Hooke, and T. Caldecott, 1715. Print.
\n2. Lennox, Charlotte, Amanda Gilroy, and W. M. Verhoeven. The Female Quixote. London: Penguin, 2006. Print.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Ariel Chu In The History of Romances, Pierre Daniel Huet argues that romances obscure truth by substituting reality with dishonest, pre-modern \u201cFictions\u201d (Huet, 123). Charlotte Lennox’s The Female Quixote appears to support this claim: by criticizing a modern woman … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1006,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl359-f14\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl359-f14\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl359-f14\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl359-f14\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1006"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl359-f14\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl359-f14\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl359-f14\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67\/revisions\/69"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl359-f14\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl359-f14\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.williams.edu\/engl359-f14\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}