Author: cesweet

Mrs. Warren’s Profession, a play by Bernard Shaw, was written in 1894. In this play Shaw challenged the social stigmas that existed during the time and gets at Shaw’s desire for social reformation. Shaw critiques the capitalist system and blames the rise of prostitution and similar “lifestyles” on capitalism, showing that the middle-lower classes do not benefit from capitalism and must resort to such professions that disregard dignity and morality.

During the time in which Shaw’s work was produced women were expected to act and be of a certain way. Both Vivie and Mrs. Warren fall outside the lines of conventionality. As Mr. Praed points out Vivie is “conventionally unconventional” Vivie can be described as such because she is an educated woman who is very forward with actions and speaking. Vivie also rejects to marriage proposals during the play, which during Victorian times would be unheard of, because that is considered rejecting the role of the woman. Along the same lines her mother, Mrs. Warren depicts a person who has been forced to become a prostitute and now run multiple brothels, that is her profession. This play show the struggle between individuals, such as Mrs. Warren trying to gain respect from her daughter, and it also shows the struggles these individuals have because of the society they live in and the social classes they belong to.

The play goes to the core of Victorian society and does a good job commenting on it. It shows the product of capitalism and uses Vivie to represent a gender reformation, as a character who is defying the Victorian expectation of a woman.

Linked here is a YouTube video of the play it is not of the greatest quality however I found it much more enjoyable and easier to understand when I could see and hear it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuSLuQVBma4

Shortly after this time (1899) a book was published in the United States the parallels some of the ideas presented in “Mrs. Warren’s Profession”. The Awakening a novel by Kate Chopin shows strong female characters. Specifically Edna, it is her awakening that is witnessed in the novel and it is through this work that Chopin presents a commentary on the current structure of society in the southern United States. The Novel shows a sexual female character that is fighting against the norms of society and redefining gender roles, such as Vivie is seen doing in “Mrs. Warren’s Profession”

Both of these works were not originally well received by their societies but as time went forward and the societies began to change and adapt the works were more welcome and today they are revered as great books of their time.

“The Drowned Woman” a painting by George Frederic Watts c.1848-1850

This painting depicts a woman who has washed up on the Thames. The title implies that the woman committed suicide. The woman appears to be very beautiful and is still holding on to a locket possibly a connection to a lover:

The woman in the image is also very simply dressed leading the viewer to believe that she is a servant or comes from little money.

In the background the viewer can see an industrial image that is covered with smog. It is interesting that the artist is depicting death with the background of technology, possibly he is showing the loom of depression and change that comes from the smog filled industry. And the impact that an industrial change can have on the woman and the threat that looms over all of London.

The painting is full of death and dispair except for one shining hope and that is the glimmer of a single star in the sky.

It is believed that this painting was inspired by “The Bridge of Sighs” by Thomas Hood found here: http://www.poetry-archive.com/h/the_bridge_of_sighs.html

Many connections between the painting and this poem can be found. For example:

One more unfortunate,

Weary of breath,

Rashly importunate,

Gone to her death!

The first stanza outlines the situation of a girl going off to commit suicide, just as it appears the woman in the painting has done.

Look at her garments
Clinging like cerements;
Whilst the wave constantly
Drips from her clothing;
Take her up instantly,
Loving, not loathing.

The third stanza is closely related to the image seen in the picture, her clothing is dripping wet with the filth of the Thames, and the woman being killed by drowning is a very unloving way to die.

The final two stanzas I want to compare to the painting have the biggest impact on it in my opinion:

Make no deep scrutiny
Into her mutiny
Rash and undutiful:
Past all dishonour,
Death has left on her
Only the beautiful.

…

Owning her weakness,
Her evil behaviour,
And leaving, with meekness,
Her sins to her Saviour!

These two stanzas in addition to the position the woman’s body is in-arms spread resembling the cross- on the painting show that the Thames washed away her sins and left her sin free and beautiful.

Both the image and the poem show the struggle of a woman during the 19th century. This woman’s struggle was so great that she ended up committing suicide. Why did she do it, what led her to believe she had no other option? Did she get looked down upon by society for not being a proper woman? Was she struggling with meeting the demands of society?

“Hence arises the great power of the sublime, that, far from being produced by them, it anticipates our reasonings, and hurries us on by an irresistible force.”

Edmund Burke explains that fear and horror feed into the sublime. The raising of fear and horror in ones life increases their sublimity. Burke goes onto say in section II: “Indeed terror is in all cases whatsoever, either more openly or latently, the ruling principle of the sublime.” Fear is necessary for the sublime.

Taking the principals laid out by Burke one can compare it to the experience Adeline experiences in chapter 8 of The Romance of the Forest by Ann Radcliffe. In this excerpt Adeline goes out for a journey through the abbey. While on this journey Adeline comes face-to-face with the sensation of fear and excitement of what lies ahead. She grew in eagerness when she approached a room that would give her the answer to her suspicion.

Throughout this passage Radcliffe uses description to paint an incredibly vivid scene that even the reader can sense the fear through. Radcliffe reaches into the readers mind with her words and demands their connection to the novel, she evokes the feeling of fear within her readers. This idea relates to what Burke said: “The proper manner of conveying the affections of the mind from one to another is by words…”

Another author that wrote with the same vividness and idea of sublime related to Burke was Victor Hugo. Hugo defined sublime as a combination as the grotesque and the beautiful. Hugo wrote with a certain level of fear and horror that absorbed the reader. Hugo’s use of words were able to convey the message of the sublime similar to what Burke defined. To examples of Hugo’s use of fear and horror can be found in his poem Cromwell(1827), and in his novel Notre-dame de Paris (1831), (The Hunchback of Notre-Dame).  And for those of you who are Disney fans let me warn you this was not a disney novel in any way. There are many more deaths in the original story and much, much more pain.

Spoiler alert here is a synopsis of the ending:

Esmerelda is accused of a murder and hung because of it. Frollo finds joy and laughter at this occurrence. Quasimodo pushes Frollo to his death off of Notre Dame and then lays next to Esmerelda’s corpse and dies there of starvation.

Not exactly the fairytale ending presented by Disney, but definitely something that highlights the ideas of Burke and the necessity of fear and horror on the path to the Sublime.