No one can be surprised that the role of women and men in a particular society has a major impact on the literature of a certain time. In the 18th and 19th centuries, men’s and women’s roles may have even been the same. Eliza Haywood’s Fantomina (1735) and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1808) both depict women merely as objects. Haywood refers to Fantomina in her novella as a victory after Beauplaisir attacks her. Shelley, on the other hand, introduces Elizabeth after Caroline’s demise as Victor’s “pretty” present. Because they were written over a hundred years apart, both texts show different responses to the gender roles upheld by the societies in which the texts were set. Haywood, Shelley and other writers have all critiqued the roles that women played in the past. However, while Fantomina questions the roles women held during the time they lived in; the women from Frankenstein defend them.
Fantomina challenges women’s roles in British Society by changing their appearance. She goes from being a lady who is of high social status to becoming a prostitute. Haywood says that Fantomina has no one to answer to in the town. She is suggesting that women shouldn’t behave in this manner. But, the protagonist still gets away with doing so (Haywood, 36). Fantomina, who lives in a box in the Playhouse theater that is a key sign of class and wealth, enters into the Pit as a woman prostitute in an “unrestrained and free manner” (Haywood 35). Haywood uses this scene to show the influence of behavior and dress on social standing. The protagonist, who has changed both her clothing and behavior, is now a woman. She is also able to mingle with men. Fantomina is able to talk with Beauplaisir. In doing so, Fantomina defies societal restrictions that prohibit women from pursuing males, as well as completing long journeys out of town. Women of lower birth were allowed to interact with men they chose. However, ladies did not. Fantomina already spoke with Beauplaisir, but she was prevented from advancing by her virtuous character. Fantomina, who is no longer recognizable, enjoys freely speaking with Beauplaisir. Fantomina may have tried to approach Beauplaisir if she were aware of an authority person or someone else, but she wouldn’t do it if they were present. Fantomina is also willing to go to any lengths in order to win Beauplaisir’s affection as her feelings towards him grow. This includes embarking on “whimsical Aventures” while pretending to be visiting a family member. After hearing rumors, the protagonist’s mother arrives abruptly to limit her freedom. This shows that British women had to stay in their towns and not travel outside. Fantomina also questions the social expectation that women who are not married have a more restrained sexuality. The protagonist has several intercourses under the disguises Fantomina Incognita Celia with Beauplaisir. Unmarried men were allowed to engage in sexual relations before marriage in 18th-century Britain, but women were expected not to do so until they married. This is apparent in Fantomina’s plan to hide her charades to protect her reputation. They would not be able to get married if they did so, because their husbands would have nothing to offer them (Haywood 38). The protagonist gains a sense of freedom by having an affair before she marries Beauplaisir. She will then use this to manipulate him while she’s incognita. In this case, the woman uses her sexuality in order to gain power over Beauplaisir. Incognita’s power was not like the stereotypical idea of male and female power (Haywood). Frankenstein makes it clear that women are responsible for providing happiness to men. Elizabeth adheres this norm because she believes that it’s her “most imperious duty” (Shelley 26,) to bring happiness and joy to her uncles. Shelley uses the words “imperious”, “greatest precision” to suggest that Elizabeth was more concerned with the happiness of her male relatives than herself. It shows women being expected to put men before themselves. Elizabeth had to bury her emotions in order to do her job, as if she didn’t matter. Elizabeth shows that she is committed to providing happiness to men by writing to Victor after suspecting him to be cheating. In order to be a cheater, you must have feelings towards someone while still committed to the other person. Elizabeth does not show any anger or sadness in her accusation of Victor, who she says is seeing and loving another person while committed with her. She also urges Victor to pursue his own happiness. Elizabeth claims that this will bring her “tranquility.” When she asserts that no one in the world can ruin Elizabeth’s tranquility, Elizabeth implies Victor’s success is the reason for her eternal happiness. Shelley’s statement implies that women are dependent on men for their happiness. Shelley created Elizabeth in order to highlight the transgressive nature of Victor’s science that ultimately led to Elizabeth’s death. Margaret Saville is not a major character and only appears to be included in the story for plot enhancement. Elizabeth, on the other hand, is shown as collateral damage during a fight with Victor’s creature. Women were shown as passive characters whose absence or presence emphasized a dominant male voice. Shelley does not give much information on Margaret’s past, even though Walton is writing to her. In addition, Shelley does not give Margaret a voice as she simply reads Walton’s letters, never responding, and even though Walton has warned her about the severe weather conditions that could put Walton in danger. Walton tells his sister that she will never hear about his destruction. She will be waiting for him to return. Readers are then left to imagine how Margaret would feel knowing her brother is in danger. The reader also has to decide whether Margaret would be able to forgive Victor for his harmful, transgressive experiment. Shelley leaves it unclear whether Margaret still lives or not. She is also written to provide moral support to Walton, who is lonely. Justine, not only Elizabeth, was shown as collateral damage when Victor fought his creature. Justine’s portrayal of women revealed how they were submissive in male-dominated societies. Justine, who was falsely accused by William’s family of murder, confesses, “I confessed, but it was a lie.” My confessor threatened and abused me for a long time, so that I began to doubt that I really was the monster I had been accused of being …”. Justine feels that she is unworthy of the blame placed on her and admits to murdering William, even though she knows it’s false. Justine becomes the victim of a corrupted system of justice and a cruel priest who makes her believe that she is what he says she is. This implies women are easily manipulated and used as scapegoats by men for their sins. No one else but Elizabeth tried to investigate the allegations, but even Elizabeth’s opposition of the accusations had no impact on the decision. Anne K. Mellor, in “Possessing Nature The Female In Frankenstein,” states that Justine’s passionate defense of herself arouses applause from the public but does not help Justine. (357). Victor was only able to prove that she was innocent. It was he who had the authority to identify the killer but he refused to do so to protect himself. Victor and Elizabeth were clearly in a relationship where they held power.
Both Fantomina, Love in a Maze, and Frankenstein portrayed women as objects of purity and love whose ultimate belief was marriage. Elizabeth, Margaret, Justine and Fantomina all embraced the social roles for women in their respective societies. Haywood and Shelley were able to expose the traditional roles women played during their time.
