“The Coquette”offers a very compelling depiction of women who were learning how to navigate the struggles of late 18th century society. Despite society norms and expectations that were weighed on women, the female characters within this novel grapple with questions of power, and constraint.By examining their contributions to literature as the insightful women they are, the intricacies of power and agency become clear. Even though Phyllis Wheatly, Hannah Foster and Judith Sargent Murray all faced societal constraints, they still were able to challenge traditional gender roles and perceptions of powerlessness by showing how powerful they were. Despite the struggles and hardships Phyllis Wheatly faced as an African American enslaved woman she …show more content…
Hannah Foster is one of the major writers who helped launch the American novel and aimed to balance the norms of society with sentimental romanticism, and empowering women in ways deemed dangerous but necessary. As the author of “ The Coquette “ also known as “ The History of Eliza Wharton (1797)”, Hannah Foster was able to recognize the “role” of gender and inequality.The story challenges the true meaning of freedom in a domestic sense using the theme of seduction and marriage which was very controversial and dangerous to write about as a women.She became “ a great object lesson about the dangers of coquetry” and taught “the dangers of female rights and female literary”.Hannah Foster was very powerful because she told a story that most women at the time would tell, she challenged the norm and brought up many questions regarding true freedom and
The Rape of the Lock Context Alexander Pope was born in London in 1688. As a Roman Catholic living during a time of Protestant consolidation in England, he was largely excluded from the university system and from political life, and suffered certain social and economic disadvantages because of his religion as well. He was self-taught to a great extent, and was an assiduous scholar from a very early age. He learned several languages on his own, and his early verses were often imitations of poets