Fallen Women in AIH - Dr Jenny Stevens Flashcards
What are the four type of Fallen Women that Dr Jenny Stevens suggests 19th century writers ‘engaged energetically with the issue of’ ?
‘The prostitute, the unmarried mother, the bolter (a wife deserting her husband) and the femme fatale.’
What does Dr Jenny Stevens state about how the mentioning of fallen women was treated in the 19th century?
‘However, in an era often characterised by its illiberal attitudes towards sexuality, any literary treatment of the fallen woman theme was severely inhibited by censorship, both overt and covert.’
What did Dr Jenny Stevens state about how Wilde manages to tackle the fallen women theme?
‘He manages to subvert the usual denouement of the fallen women narrative without breaching the formal constraints of the well-made play.’
What is the name of the ‘fallen woman’ in Lady Windermere’s Fan and A Woman of No Importance?
LWF - Mrs. Erlynne
AWONI - Mrs Arbuthnot
How is Mrs. Erlynne (LWF) and Mrs. Arbuthnot (AWONI) presented as fallen women, according to Dr Jenny Stevens?
Mrs Erlynne - ‘ A woman who has abandoned her husband and infant child.’
Mrs Arbuthnot - ‘carries the shame of the unmarried mother, passing herself off as a widow to spare her son the stigma of illegitimacy.’
Summarise the stock character of ‘femme fatale’
Mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of literature and art. She is often portrayed as an irresistibly attractive woman who leads men into difficult, dangerous, or disastrous situations.
What do some Wilde Scholars regard the one act play of ‘Solome’ as continuing the concerns of the society plays in that it… ?
it ‘addresses fin-de-siecle fears surrounding women’s increasing independence and challenges the normative view that a female with a strong libido was aberrant.’
What was the final comment Dr Jenny Stevens remarked, regarding the progress of fallen women?
‘So, while considerable progress has been made in dismantling the double standards which so infuriated Wilde, there are still plenty left of today’s playwrights to interrogate.’
