"[Spirit] means something concise, penetrating, profound, expressed appropriately and forcefully (and by extension, someone who is inclined to speak in this way)" (Palmer 136). The female spirit figure was widely unacceptable in 18th and 19th century Britain. In those days it was considered rude or improper for women to express witty sentiments in their writings. Despite this, “more and more poetry was written to be […] a demonstration of wit, social grace, or achievement” (Backscheider 3). Anna Laetitia Barbauld demonstrates her intelligence in her poem "The Mouse's Petition to Doctor Priestley Found in the Trap Where He Had Been Locked All Night" with its use of intellectual discourse and allegorical content in which the mouse is "particularly adaptable to the concerns of women and their needs". critique of masculine values" (Kraft 70). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Addresses Dr. Priestley and readers on several levels, demonstrating to be extremely persuasive regardless of the audience. On the other hand, in her play The Belle's Stratagem, Hannah Cowley portrays her main female character, Letitia, as a witty female figure with Letitia's cunning plan to persuade Doricourt to fall in love. of her constitutes a highly successful representation of female ingenuity and wisdom. The works of Barbauld and Cowley are essential to the study of gender constructions and women's ability to express wit in their writing to male ego, intellect and emotions to get what they want. Both Barbauld and Cowley appeal to men's egos using tones of sarcasm and irony. “Like all fables, 'The Mouse's Petition' has its own internal shades of meaning [and] its winning style enacts the assertion of its underlying metaphor” (Kostelanetz 197). Barbauld's mouse is representative of a woman who feels confined by unequal gender constructions, and Dr. Priestley represents men as figures of supreme power. Throughout the poem, Barbauld's tone remains highly dramatized, as if he wants to mock men for believing they have supreme reign over women. The mouse asks Doctor Priestley to “let not thy strong oppressive strength / A freeborn mouse hold back,” appealing to his sense of manhood by describing his strength as “strong” (Barbauld 11-12). She continues this flattery a few lines later by describing her “hearth” as “hospitable” when she ironically means the opposite (Barbauld 14). Throughout the poem, Barbauld appeals to Dr. Priestley's ego to help her make her petition convincing. Cowley takes a similar stance in The Belle's Stratagem during "the second installment of her masquerade romance, [when] Letitia adopts ... an alternative persona, that of a witty enchantress" (Isikoff 102). He showers Doricourt with adulation: “Fashion and taste preside in this place; they cast their spells on you; ten thousand delights/ spring at their bidding” (Cowley 4.1.201-203). Doricourt eagerly takes the bait: “And you, the most charming being in the world, / awaken me in admiration. Are you from the stars?" (Cowley 4.1.205-207). Letitia responds, declaring that she will "go back up in a moment" (Cowley 4.1.208). Just when Letitia has Doricourt wrapped around her finger with flattery, she sarcastically declares her dismissal , inevitably hurting his ego. Any male with a damaged ego will predictably continue to struggle with the eventual fulfillment of said ego, and Doricourt does this for the rest of his life,determined to win the heart of the masked Letitia. While Barbauld's mouse appeals to the male ego by flattering it, Cowley's female protagonist does so by harming him. Regardless, both women have the common goal of reaching their male target through ego, hoping that men will be blind to their ridicule and in return offer them what they desire (freedom and marriage, respectively). Barbauld's Mouse and Cowley's Letitia continue their attempts to outsmart their male counterparts by appealing to their intellect. On a literal level, the mouse pleads with Dr. Priestley to refrain from using it in scientific experiments. It is logical that the mouse appeals to the doctor's intelligence, since he is, after all, an accomplished intellectual. Barbauld advocates the compassion embodied in every educated person. She writes: The well-educated philosophical mind To all compassion gives; He casts an equal glance around the world, And feels for all that lives. (Barbauld 25-28) In this passage he appeals both to his ego by describing his “philosophical mind” as “well-educated,” and to his intellectual capacity by making a general statement about the generous capacity of well-educated people. Barbauld captivates Dr. Priestley's intellect with rationality. Likewise, Letitia works to captivate Doricourt's intellect and his desire to be with an intelligent woman during the masquerade, which "licensed both devices Letitia requires, mystery and wit" (Isikoff 107). After recognizing that Doricourt is not at first interested in her look, she chooses to masquerade as every quality Doricourt might want in a woman: "English beauty, French vivacity, wit, elegance" (Cowley 4.1.286-289 the plan of Letitia works perfectly, as Doricourt professes his love for her.) :You will be nothing but yourself; nothing can be charming if you are not. I will not do wrong to your penetration by pretending to have won my heart At the first interview But now I would not exchange my person, your face, your mind for those of any other woman Breathing. (Cowley 5.5.283-289) Appealing to the male intellect is significant for both Barbauld and Letitia, as they attempt to deceive the men to whom Barbauld does so by appealing directly to Dr. Priestley's intellect, while Cowley adopts a deeper approach gradually building Doricourt's respect and admiration for Letitia due to her wit and cunning. Barbauld's Mouse and Cowley's Letitia also attempt to win over their male audiences by tapping directly into their emotions. The witty women attempt to reveal Doctor Priestley and Doricourt as men of feeling by enchanting their delicately refined sensibilities. Barbauld begins his poem by having the mouse tug at Dr. Priestley's emotions: For here, forlorn and sad, I sit, within the iron grate; and I tremble as the morning approaches, bringing imminent doom. (Barbauld 5-8) The mouse describes himself as “disconsolate and sad,” trembling with fear. Any man with an ounce of sensitivity would feel compassionate towards a human being in such a depressing state. Recognizing this probability, Barbauld personifies the mouse throughout the poem as a caged prisoner, hoping to appeal to Dr. Priestley's sensibilities. At the end of the poem, the mouse makes his final pleading remarks: “May some kind angel clear your path, / And break the hidden snare” (Barbauld 47-48). Here Barbauld's mouse still cleverly attracts the doctor's sympathies. Similarly, Letitia in Belle's Stratagem wishes to appeal to Doricourt's emotions while forcing him to wait until the last minute to remove himself, 2001.
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