Reviewing Conduct Literature (Part 1)

During last week's presentation, I found the content and format was not only insightful but also amusing in its depicting the strict social rules and conduct literature, which dates as far back as the Middle Ages. For instance, I never realized that women eating in public was considered to be "disgusting" and impolite or that crossing their legs at the ankles or putting legs together with their backs straight were seen as the most appropriate way of sitting. Needless to say, they had it more difficult than the men, who had noticeably less norms or customs than females. However, the exploration of conduct literature was intriguing, because it showed how women were constricted in the 1800s.

John Gregory's A Father's Legacy To His Daughters is an interesting example of conduct literature, because the author never intended it to be published. In the text, he notes how men complain about the reserve of women and their alleged bad habits. For this reason, he warns his daughters (whom he meant to write the book for) against eating in public and cautioning against women who used humour. After he died, it was ionically published and put into printing. Another writer of conduct literature was Lord Lyttleton, who believed that public intoxication was sinful and that loving the husband was the women's primary goal.

One of the most famous works of conduct literature is Eliza Haywood's bildungsroman The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless. The book concerns a young woman leaving her abusive husband and experiencing life as an independent woman for the first time. Unlike Haywood's earlier Fantomina, Betsy Thoughtless does not disguise herself and pursue men for the purpose of sex. The narrative is more introspective and concerned with the question of how to present oneself as "good" to others. Although she is not deceptive or manipulating like Fantomina, Betsy allows herself to be drawn into certain situations in which she is perceived as doing something wrong. During the 17th-18th Centuries, women desired to be good in a virtuous manner, but social expectations were seen as being more important.

To be continued with Part 2.....