Women's Roles in Lord Byron's Don Juan Canto I and Jane Austen's Mansfield Park - Essay Example

Women's Roles in Lord Byron's "Don Juan" Canto I and Jane Austen's "Mansfield Park" The story of Don Juan that is famous all over the world is based upon ancient Spanish legend about a handsome man who falls in love with a daughter of the Seville commander, and then seduces her. After their affair becomes known to public, her father challenges him and is killed by Don Juan. As the legend states, Don Juan starts to ridicule the statue of her father and invites this statue to the feast. This statue appears there and leads Don Juan away to hell. This story has been retold thousands of times in literature of many countries, music, opera, ballet and paintings of the most famous artists of the world. "Don Juan" by Byron is one of the most famous retellings of this legend, changed by the poet. The poem by Lord Byron differs much from the original version in plot, characters and narration. Originally the character of Don Juan embodies a physical desire that is independent from any feelings and morality that are inherent to human beings. The character of the legend is cold and heartless, but Byron gives this name to a young loving and dreaming man, who is modest, romantic, nave and honest. He charms the women as his prototype, but Byron's character is involved into the interplay of feelings and he also falls in love and seeks for happiness, Byron's Don Juan is not a heartless seducer. (Cuddy-Keane) Canto I describes the family of the character and his youth and his first love affair. Don Juan was born in aristocratic family. His mother is educated and experienced woman, and it is she who brings Don Juan up after the early death of his father. She involved him into the world of art and science, but she forbade him learn something that can get him aware of physical love. She also doesn't allow him to read suggestive books, and the author marks that this manner of education was wrong. (Cuddy-Keane) The story proceeds to the youth of Don Juan and his first affair. It happened when a friend of his mother, Donna Julia starts to regard him as a handsome young man. Donna Julia is a young and attractive woman, she is married and she tried to convince herself that she could withstand her passion to Don Juan. She tries to cast her passion into platonic love, but as soon as she remains alone with him, she understands that all her efforts are in vain. Don Juan, who is unaware about physical sides of his personality, cannot find the reasons for his discontent. He tries to find the answers in the environment and sciences. There is a scene in the poem that depicts Donna Julia and Don Juan together in the garden. The narrator ends up the scene with the speech against the ideas of platonic love. The tension grows and Julia cannot hide her feelings any more: But who, alas! can love, and then be wise Not that remorse did not oppose temptation; A little still she strove, and much repented, And whispering 'I will ne'er consent'--consented.(Byron) When the author returns to this affair in his narration, six months already passed, and they are loving each other. The husband of Donna Julia becomes suspicious, and he tries to establish the guilt of his wife, coming to her bedroom at night with his friends to seek for lover. Fortunately, his attempts were not successful, and he begs pardon for being jealous. But suddenly he notices the shoes of Don Juan near the bed of Donna Julia. He goes on seeking and at last he finds Don Juan in bed clothes. The husband and a lover start to fight, but fortunately none of them has a sword. At the end, Don Juan runs away, but he cannot prevent the scandal. Julia is sent to convent by her husband and Don Juan's mother makes him leave to see the other countries and improve his moral principles. Literary critics, observing Byron's "Don Juan", often remark that the author portrays definite features of women characters ironically, or even satirically. For instance, he treats educated women with satire. Some authors state that this attitude is determined by author's relations with his wife, from whom he divorced some time after the start of their family life. In spite of the fact that the author himself denied such connection between his real life and the women characters in "Don Juan", such as Donna Inez in particular, some commentators give the following examples of the rhymes that Byron uses: "Note the way that Byron uses bad rhymes to make fun of Donna Inez and to ridicule her seriousness "so fine as" to rhyme with "the brain of Donna Inez"; "intellectual" to rhyme with "hen-pecked you all." It is evident that Byron shared the common meaning related to educated women. It was customary regard such women as aggressive leaders that dominate in family. (Cuddy-Keane) Donna Inez represents herself as a woman of high moral standards. When Juan's father was alive, she tried to declare him insane, and "She kept a journal, where his faults were noted..." (Byron). She justifies her actions by that is "duty to both man and God...which seem'd very odd" (Byron). The fact that Donna Inez transfers her responsibility for her actions to God reflects Byron's opinion of the contemporary English society. Placing responsibility to someone else who is more powerful and just, means literally rejecting responsibility at all, and this tendency was widespread among the people that lived at the same time with Byron. Byron regards personal responsibility a very important factor, often missing in people around him, and he reflected his discontent with the help of Donna Inez character. (Cuddy-Keane) The methods of brining up of Juan are also depicted ironically. The author doesn't directly disprove morality of Juan's mother, but gives to understand that Donna Inez is not as perfect as she wants to look like with the help of hints and indirect evidences. Ironical description of the mother's character also revels in her attempts to bring her son up without letting him now about physiological sides of living. Some authors insist on the author's suggestion of the fact that Donna Inez pushed her son to affair with Donna Julia, because she herself had relations with Julia's husband. This fully denies the image of moral woman that Donna Inez tries to create for herself. (Waters) The character of Donna Julia is depicted with fun and sincerity. For instance, in stanza 61 she is depicted with praises of her beauty and attractiveness, but this description ends up with the words of low tone. However, it is necessary to note that this is not Donna Julia who is made fun of by the poet, but the idealizing of the lover that it is inherent to all persons that are in love. With the help of such technique Byron reduces elevated feelings of love to real life and real relationships. (Waters) Donna Julia acts according to the behavioral schemes of the "idealized heroine": "pretty, gentle, sweet, sexually-attractive and even sexually responsive but also passive, submissive, self-sacrificing, and accepting of her fate to the point of victimization." (Cuddy-Keane) At the beginning of the narration Donna Julia seems to break this ideal, as she is older than Don Juan and she is married. In describing the relationships of Donna Julia and Don Juan Byron moves away from traditional roles of the lovers in their relationships, he gives Donna Julia more active role, as she is more experienced, so it is she who seduces her innocent lover. But when at the end of the episode Donna Julia writes a letter to Don Juan, she comes back to devoted and faithful wife: "Mine is the victim, and would be again;" (Byron) "Man's love is of man's life a thing apart, 'Tis woman's whole existence;" (Byron) When Donna Julia leaves for the convent, she realized that this is the feeling of love that is her religion. It should be noted that the satirical depiction of lover's idealization disappears when Donna Julia speaks from herself. (Cuddy-Keane) Those who study the prose of Jane Austen state that despite she created love stories that are referred to Romantic movement, her works are much different from other authors of this time in general and Lord Byron in particular. This may be determined by her life and upbringing, as well as her viewpoints. Jane Austen received her education mainly at home, but not at schools. She received a better education that it was habitual for women at that time. The conditions of her life made Austen pay her attention to provincial life of middle class of society, and she described this life from deep inside, with humor and attention. She depicted gentry and countrymen and their families, where the life of woman was mainly determined by her position as a wife and a mother. (Jane Austen) Women education was not considered to be the necessary feature for women at that time. Women were not anxious about making career or reach career successes. Women were not the citizens of the state, involved into political life of the society, so there were no any special need of getting educated, and it was perceived that the women need to be trained as the housewives and mothers, and religious education was considered to be the most appropriate education for girls. The main functions that women were allowed were dancing, drawing and music. Byron, in contrast to Jane Austen, shared this opinion and stated that the women should "read neither poetry nor politics -- nothing but books of piety and cookery". (Cochran) It is customary to regard Jane Austen as a writer who firstly gave the novel the features of its modern nature, as she described the peculiarities of the everyday life of middle class of the English society. Common meaning about women writers made Jane Austen publish anonymously and prevent her from penetrating into literary circles, though her novels became popular and appreciated by public. The main feature that makes Austen's novels different from other writings of Romanticism, is that the passions and feelings described are dangerous, and these are rational educated women who usually find happiness in the novels of Jane Austen. As the critics state, "Austen's literary strength lies in the delineation of character, especially of women, by delicate touches arising out of the most natural and everyday incidents in the life of the middle and upper classes, from which her subjects are generally taken. Her characters, though of quite ordinary types, are drawn with such firmness and precision, and with such significant detail as to retain their individuality intact through their entire development, and they are uncolored by her own personality. Her view of life seems largely genial, with a strong dash of gentle but keen irony." (Johnson) "Austen's literary strength lies in the delineation of character, especially of women, by delicate touches arising out of the most natural and everyday incidents in the life of the middle and upper classes, from which her subjects are generally taken. Her characters, though of quite ordinary types, are drawn with such firmness and precision, and with such significant detail as to retain their individuality intact through their entire development, and they are uncoloured by her own personality. Her view of life seems largely genial, with a strong dash of gentle but keen irony." (Jane Austen) Mansfield Park was written by Jane Austen in 1812-1814 and published in 1814. The main character of the book is Fanny Price - a girl born in a large family and then sent to Mansfield Park to live with the relatives of her mother. Her mother married a man, whom she loved against the will of her family, but he appeared to be an alcoholic, and the life of Fanny's mother was more difficult and less comfortable compared to the way of living of her sisters. The main character of the novel has aroused contradictory estimations since the novel was published and up to now. Some of the critics, as well as the modern readers, state that she is "shy, timid, lacking in self-confidence, physically weak, and seemingly-to some, annoyingly-always right." (Mansfield Park by Jane Austen) It is known the Austen's mother didn't like this heroine, as she has a little in common with the main character of Pride and Prejudice. However, this novel remains one of the most remarkable writings by Jane Austen due to deep and complex analyses of the main themes, and Fanny is stands apart from the heroines that were usually portrayed in the literature of that period. Many modern commentators criticize Fanny for her shyness, and express the idea that "she is a better person for the relative privations of her childhood rather unpleasant." (Mansfield Park by Jane Austen) Other critics speak about her complex identity, "perceptive yet given to wishful thinking, and that she shows courage and grows in self-esteem during the latter part of the story." (Johnson) This book also satirically depicts certain women characters, for instance, aunts of Fanny. This novel is considered to be the most realistic depiction of social life. The family of Fanny, and her parents are the people that belong to lower class of society, then it was usually portrayed by Austen, and the author suggests that the wealth and prosperity of the Bertrams family appeared due to slave labor in the West Indies. (Mansfield Park by Jane Austen) Despite the fact that both Jane Austin and Lord Byron created their writings as the novels of Romanticism, these two authors reveal differences in their writing style, that derive from differences of their lifestyle, family life, up-bringing and viewpoints. It is evident that Byron shared a common opinion stating that women do no need to be well-educated as the men, because they do not have the spheres and occupations to implement their education. Moreover, well-educated women were considered to be eccentric and aggressive. That's why Don Juan's mother, who cannot be regarded as the positive character, is an educated woman, and with the help if his heroine Byron expresses his opinion about women's destination. He shows that the educated woman, tending to gain a leadership in the family, fails in completing the mission that is given to her by the nature. The other heroine, that implements the qualities inherent to woman as she must be in the eyes of Byron, is treated with respect and kindness by the author. Jane Austen, on the contrary, as the woman who received education and regarded it as the advantage, rather than a lack in women's life, paid much attention to the relation between woman rationality and the success she may reach in her life. All the heroines of Austen's novels are young ladies that know the purposes they want to achieve; they are wise, educated and modest. Works Cited Byron. Don Juan, Canto I (1819). Available at http://www.faculty.umb.edu/elizabeth_fay/donjuan2.html Cochran, Peter. Byron The Vampire, And The Vampire Women. Available at http://www.internationalbyronsociety.org/pdf_files/vampires.pdf Cuddy-Keane, Melba. Don Juan, Canto I. The University of Toronto at Scarborough. Available at http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/humdiv/English/main.html Waters, Lindsay. 'The "Desultory Rhyme" of Don Juan: Byron, Pulci, and the Improvisatory Style,' ELH, Vol. 45, No. 3. (Autumn, 1978), pp. 429-442. Jane Austen. Literature Network. Available at http://www.online-literature.com/ Pride and Prejudice -- Notes on Education, Marriage, Status of Women, etc. available at http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/pridprej.html#toc Johnson, Claudia L.. Jane Austen: Women, Politics, and the Novel. University of Chicago Press, 1988. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. Austen.com. Available at http://www.austen.com/ Read More