In Belinda by Maria Edgeworth, representations of gender and femininity have crucial and complex roles. In addition to the binary it states between Lady Delacour and Lady Anne Percival, the novel also provides a young generation of female characters, namely Belinda and Virginia, whose characters question and alter notions of femininity, as they are growing into these constructs . with certain implications. Through all these female characters, their positions and their development, Edgeworth depicts traditional ideas of the domestic woman as unrealistic and impractical, as the narrative displays the attributes of independence and a strong sense of self through Lady's personality and growth Delacour. plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The character of Lady Delacour begins as dramatic and defiant, and does not necessarily completely abandon these traits in the conclusion. Although she was known to be a dissipated person, Lady Delacour possessed a certain timeless and haunting charm that defied the usual laws of fashionable society and survived her transition from youth to womanhood; she “continued to be admired as a fashionable bel esprit” beyond the novelty of her appearance in society (Edgeworth 8). Much of this perception still characterizes Lady Delacour in the final part of the novel, but in the beginning she is given a more artificial and exaggerated air in a way that portrays her not only as a spectacle, but also at certain moments, as a caricature . Interestingly, this occurs in both feminine and masculine ways, which introduces gender ambiguity and complexity. For example, when he initially revealed his condition to Belinda, Lady Delacour, "with a sort of fury, wiped the color from her face, and, returning to Belinda, held the candle so as to throw full light upon her bruised features", which who seems deliberately theatrical, and even dresses up as Harriot Freke for the duel (Edgeworth 53). However, in every way that Lady Delacour transforms herself into spectacle, she does so to act against gender society and gender society. possibility of being subjugated by a man and confined to domestic life. The character of Harriet serves as the antithesis of traditional domestic femininity and a potential anarchic force. Lady Delacour is attracted to Harriot's defiance of convention and his independence, and her solitude has attracted her to Harriot's façade of genuine camaraderie. Lady Delacour is simultaneously aware of her ability to be a good wife and resentful of her husband's claims that he is "not a man to be governed by a wife", which fuel her withdrawal from any kind of domestic lifestyle ( Edgeworth 66 ). Not realizing the destructive capacity of Harriot's character, Lady Delacour clings to his friendship and allows herself to be guided by Freke's principles, partly due to her own anxieties about living in a gendered world. The opening conveys that, although Lady Delacour is a corrupt character, this is partly the result of her past misfortunes and her attempts to not be subject to convention. In such attempts, which manifest themselves in her admired and talked about lifestyle, Lady Delacour objectifies herself. In contrast, Lady Percival embodies ideas of domestic happiness and exudes them into the home and lives of her family members. Lady Anne Percival's introduction, when Edgeworth first describes her children, "who turned all their healthy, rosy, intelligent faces towards the door," offers a stark contrast to Lady Delacour's family (Edgeworth 191) . It is especially important that one of these little girls isHelena, Lady Delacour's daughter who she was unable to mother and raise. However, Edgeworth's tone in describing the Percival family is more simplistic, speaking not only to the simplicity of their domestic bliss, but also to the characters themselves. The fact that the children are all the same – or even interchangeable – shows the undemanding nature of the family; Furthermore, describing them as “healthy, rosy, intelligent” is strange due to the somewhat dissimilar parallel adjectives. The words themselves seem to follow each other mechanically and therefore receive a certain degree of satire. Furthermore, Edgeworth attributes the concept of the automaton to Lady Percival when he describes how “Lady Anne Percival's boundless cheerfulness made the mind feel at ease” (Edgeworth 192)/ Boundless cheerfulness is not only unnatural, but also shows an element of indiscreet acceptance, which the characters often praise. In contrast to Lady Delacour's mind, which is anything but "at ease", this description may seem comforting for its tranquility, but for any mind to be proclaimed to be completely "at ease" denotes a lack of humanity or perceptibility. It becomes clear from people's general opinion that Edgeworth scoffs at this society's ideal concept of the domestic wife and mother; the narrative structure belies the impossibility of Lady Anne Percival's ideal nature to exist as it first appears. Every person who knows or meets Lady Anne Percival, except Lady Delacour at first, thinks highly of her and believes her to be the ideal wife and mother and therefore the ideal woman. Indeed, even Lady Delacour, following her reform, thinks highly of her. People generally find Lady Anne to be sensible, kind, and educated enough to state opinions and thoughts. Although Clarence Hervey is struck by her “essential charm of beauty” and her “expression of happiness,” he even gives her an undiscerning quality, identified by the inability to distinguish “Whether her eyes were large or small, blue or hazel, ” and “the color of her hair” (Edgeworth 191). Compared to Lady Delacour's innate command to admire her, this seems considerably less worthy. Clarence, however, seems relieved and at ease because of this and, indeed, "his heart was immediately in his favor" (Edgeworth 191). Soon after, he is “struck by the intelligent face” of Helena, without knowing who she is (Edgeworth 193). A direct juxtaposition is established between anyone dealing with Lady Percival who puts the mind at ease, and any connection with Lady Delacour who “affects” a person and causes the need to think more; This is also the case with Lady Margaret Delacour, even though she is not biologically related to Lady Delacour. Lady Margaret Delacour seems more dynamic and opinionated than anyone else at "The Family Party" in this section. When Lady Percival speaks, she tends to make kind and open-minded statements, but they are also in tune with the kind of woman she is and that men feel comfortable with. He tells Clarence that “Women, who have met with so many admirers, seldom meet with many friends” (Edgeworth 204) which is probably the opinion held by faithful wives, to ensure domestic tranquility. Lady Percival is not a bad character, however. she lacks many dimensions that would make her look more realistic. When discussing Mr. Vincent as a future husband with Belinda, she advises her: “As we cannot alter the common law of custom, and as we cannot make the world less gossipy or less censorious, we must not always expect to avoid censorship; all we can do is never deserve it” (Edgeworth 296). This advice is not entirely wrong, as Lady Anne explains the fact that there will be unfair judgments madeof people, but it still doesn't take into account that good people are capable of imperfections that may cause or deserve censure. He has some theories, but they are always expressed calmly and usually always predict or assume a positive outcome. For example, when she and Lady Margaret Delacour talk about the young Lady Delacour, she states “when she is tired of the tasteless taste of other pleasures, she will have a greater taste for those of domestic life, which will be new and fresh to her” (Edgeworth 206). This turns out to be largely true, except that Lady Delacour is never as effectively domesticated by Lady Anne and that the pleasures of domesticity for Lady Delacour perhaps end up being fulfilling because she is still the witty, intelligent woman who plots surprises and surprises. correcting mistakes behind the scenes. This ending in which Lady Delacour finds Captain Sutherland and negotiates both engagements is important, because it shows that although domestic pleasures are a dimension of her new life that has brought her great joy , there are yet other dimensions, seemingly equally significant. A glimpse is also given into many undesirable dimensions of Lady Delacour's nature when she was convinced she was dying, such as bitterness, selfishness, lack of trust and extreme jealousy, which led her to turn away from she. Belinda. The way she treats Belinda when she makes accusations shows that she is not always guided by the right principles and circumstances, but it also shows that, despite her sometimes over-dramatized character, she is like a real person. Lady Percival, on the other hand, does not seem to make any mistakes until it finally becomes apparent that she should not have supported the marriage between Belinda and Vincent. Having been the one and only mistake made in the entire novel, the nature of this mistake is significant; since Lady Anne is so unswervingly in favor of domestic happiness, it is ironic that the area in which she is wrong is that very area. There are also observations he makes in the novel, which are in themselves insignificant, but take on greater irony when considered with the ending, such as “A woman who has the opportunity to see her lover in private society, in domestic life, has infinite advantages; for if she had a little sense and he a little sincerity, the true character of both might perhaps be developed” (Edgeworth 228). In general, this idea seems reasonable, but when considered with Belinda and Vincent, it becomes less strictly a rule and more an ideal that can be hoped for, given the particular circumstances. It is believed that Belinda has enough common sense and Mr. Vincent is certainly sincere, however his theory is certainly true only in a society where everything is so ideal that everyone gets what they deserve and unforeseen situations do not exist. This incorrect prediction indicates Lady Percival's singular knowledge of idealism and circumstances no less desirable than reality, and also of her lack of experience in the world. Lady Delacour has lived, traveled, and learned much since her independence, while Lady Percival appears to show no knowledge of the ways of the world, perhaps because in promoting domestic happiness, she renounces all independence. The importance of the need for independence in The goal for a woman to gain a broader and deeper understanding of the world has never been more important than in Virginia, Clarence's experiment. Belinda, although she does not yet have complete knowledge of the world, has lived long enough for her age and continues to develop by thinking critically and making decisions that suit her. Virginia, on the other hand, was locked in a house and not allowed to even look at the photos, much less venture out and learn the true meaning of anything. They are compareddirectly as both are potential wives for Clarence Hervey and both are young and beautiful. Furthermore, the novel-length contrasts and comparisons between Lady Delacour and Lady Percival set the stage for seeing Belinda and Virginia in relationship to each other. Virginia’s naivety has already been established for the reader, particularly when Clarence offers her his diamond and she responds with “They are beautiful, glittering things, what are they? What good are they?" (Edgeworth447). Although Clarence is fascinated by her tirelessness at this point, it becomes clear that he cannot be truly in love with someone who understands so little and who knows no concept of relativity or society to guide his thoughts and ideas This becomes especially poignant when Clarence regrets his obligations, but must not go back, but Virginia plans to marry him only so that he does not call her "wicked and ungrateful Virginia" which is his main anxiety. (Edgeworth 560) of the two to communicate and Virginia's extreme and unfounded fears show the dangers of a woman who is not independent or educated. However, Virginia's lack of understanding is the fault of her grandmother's desires and, in a certain way sense, Clarence's fault. Clarence's share of the blame was placed on Virginia because of society's ironic obsession with absolute sincerity and lack of artifice, which manifested itself in Clarence's desire for such wife. Society's fixation on such a woman is ironic because this society simultaneously forces women to extremes such as the initial Lady Delacour; some women believe that their only values ​​in such a society are to be beautiful and fashionable, even though "the reign of beauty is proverbially short, and fashion often capriciously abandons its favorites, even before nature withers their charms " (Edgeworth 9). This is why the reader can easily forgive Lady Delacour for placing so much emphasis on these superficial values ​​at the beginning of the book. This paradox in society is the probable reason why Lady Anne Percival is considered the ideal woman among the men who meet her. Although Lady Anne is not a compromise between these ideas, she is extremely peaceful and compliant as a simple housewife. Lady Anne is nowhere near Virginia's extremes in terms of lack of autonomy, yet she shows no desire to develop. Through his many conversations with Belinda he demonstrates that he has acceptable understanding and common sense, many of these conversations revolve around Belinda's marriage prospects. Lady Anne does not seem submissive, and this is perhaps why she is a stagnant and unrealistic character. Men in this society respond very positively to a woman who makes them feel as comfortable as she does and has some ability to think, but has no ambition to gain more independence or more worldviews. As a character, Lady Anne is identifiable as a wife and mother, while Lady Delacour is an interesting woman in her own right. Even after Lady Delacour is reconciled with her husband and reformed, she retains her wits and lively nature, but channels these properties for human purposes. For example, when Lady Delacour wishes to return the old gardener's money to him after the aloe incident, she tells Lord Delacour that “though I know it is rather rude to dictate the form and manner of a favor. But since, in all human probability, my dictatorship cannot last long", she would rather do something for him. Even when Lady Delacour is anxious about his impending death, she cheerfully jokes at her own expense. Keep in mind: this is only a example Get a custom paper now from our expert writers Get a custom essay The reactions of.