Queering Liberation in The Woman of Colour

Article Literature

Interracial Sex and Narrative Crisis in The Woman of Colour

Joyce Green MacDonald

Summary: As an epistolary novel, The Woman of Colour (1808) fails to meet the formal expectations by replacing the letters of the protagonist with a correspondence between the editor and his friend. This loss of access to the protagonist's thoughts reflects the novel's inability to envision a future for her in English society. The novel's choice of a literary form that was already outdated by 1808 suggests a desire to ignore the moral costs of empire, including the sexual abuse of enslaved women like the protagonist's mother. Ultimately, the novel exiles knowledge of these costs by sending the protagonist back to Jamaica.

EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY FICTION (2023)

添加到收藏夹

Article Literature

Sentiment and Sexual Servitude: White Men of Feeling and The Woman of Colour

Rebecca Anne Barr

Summary: The novel "The Woman of Colour" challenges traditional notions of virtue by refusing to give its biracial protagonist a husband. It argues that the dismissal of the marriage plot is a critique of sentimental white men who abuse their emotions and moral duty. The rejection of marriage by the protagonist is a form of the Black women's culture of dissemblance to protect themselves from sexual violation. The novel exposes the self-serving and hypocritical nature of sentimental paternalism and its negative impact on women's happiness and the authority of white abolitionism.

EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY FICTION (2023)

添加到收藏夹

Article Literature

Mind Is Revealed in the Countenance: Subversive Laughter and Caricature in The Woman of Colour

Leigh-Michil George

Summary: In "The Woman of Colour," Olivia Fairfield ridicules white female characters who judge her as inferior because of her skin color. Building on previous analysis by Lyndon J. Dominique, this article explores how Olivia uses caricatural tropes to challenge anti-Black stereotypes. Within the context of visual caricatures depicting Black women as grotesque, Olivia's use of verbal caricature strategically challenges England's racial hierarchy and reaffirms her own femininity and fairness.

EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY FICTION (2023)

添加到收藏夹

Article Literature

Favoured Isles: Selfishness and Sacrifice in the Capital of Capital

Natalie Zacek

Summary: An important aspect of The Woman of Colour (1808) is its exploration of selfishness, self-interest, and sympathy. The novel draws insights from Adam Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments, linking these concepts to the plot, characters, and themes of commerce, empire, and slavery. The protagonist, Olivia Fairfield, experiences disappointments and betrayals in England, yet she sees the country favorably due to the production of ideal men. The novel suggests that England and Jamaica can only become favored places if the selfishness of imperialist and capitalist ideologies is rejected, and sympathy is extended to all individuals, including enslaved people.

EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY FICTION (2023)

添加到收藏夹

Article Literature

Ameliorating the Situation of Empire: Slavery and Abolition in The Woman of Colour

Kristina Huang

Summary: In this essay, the author examines how the novel The Woman of Colour expands on the context of British slavery debates and explores the ambiguous nature of race and imperial tutelage. The novel exposes the complexities of plantation slavery and the intricate relationships between Black and White individuals.

EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY FICTION (2022)

添加到收藏夹

Article Literature