The Children's University - Lesson #1

Hello everyone, I'm currently working on an English Summer Camp in Spain :) I'm very happy about it and I think it is a good experience to be shared. My duties are quite different and randomly chosen by my boss, but one of them is to prepare certain 'lectures' or classes for children and teens regarding the culture and history of the are where the camp is.

Lesson #1:

We are going to talk about the first half of the sixteenth century. When we talk about the first half of the sixteenth century, we talk about Emperor Charles V.

Why are we talking about Emperor Charles V right here? Well, because Emperor Charles V lived or spent a few months in the impressive and beautiful castle of Jarandilla de la Vera.

Why did he spend a few months here, in Jarandilla de la Vera? Because his son Philip II became King of Spain. And the Emperor, his father, Emperor Charles V decided to retire in Yuste, in the monastery of Yuste, which is not far from here. The monastery was the place where the Emperor spent his last days and died.

The Emperor's body was not buried there. The Emperor's body is in El Escorial with all the other monarchs, kings and queens, princes and princesses. All the Royal Family is buried in El Escorial, which is not far from Madrid.

A Royal Marriage Extracted from a Horror Novel

Last week, I visited Vila Viçosa (Portugal) and in order to illustrate the importance of such a visit, I decided to write this post regarding the figure of Catherine of Branganza and her marriage to Charles II.

Negotiations for the marriage began during the reign of King Charles I, were renewed immediately after the Restoration, and on the 23rd of June, in spite of Spanish opposition, the marriage contract was signed, England securing Tangier (in North Africa) and Bombay (in India), with trading privileges in Brazil and the East Indies, religious and commercial freedom in Portugal and two million Portuguese crowns (about £300,000); while Portugal obtained military and naval support against Spain and liberty of worship for Catherine. She reached England on the 13th of May 1662, but was not visited by Charles at Portsmouth until the 20th. The next day the marriage was solemnized twice, according to the Roman Catholic and Anglican usages. Catherine possessed several good qualities, but had been brought up in a conventual seclusion and was scarcely a wife Charles would have chosen for himself. Her personal charms were not potent enough to wean Charles away from the society of his mistresses, and in a few weeks after her arrival she became aware of her painful and humiliating position as the wife of a licentious king.

The couple were married in two more ceremonies – a Catholic one conducted in secret, followed by a public Anglican service – on 21 May at Domus Dei now known as the Royal Garrison Church at Portsmouth. Little is known of Catherine's own thoughts on the match. While her mother plotted and schemed to secure an alliance with England and her future husband celebrated his restoration by sporting with his mistresses, Catherine's time had been spent in the sombre seclusion of her convent home where there was little opportunity for fun or frivolity. Even outside of the convent her actions were governed by the strict etiquette of the royal court of Portugal. By all accounts Catherine grew into a quiet, even-tempered young woman. The Portuguese Ambassador proudly remarked that she was, 'totally without that meddling and activity in her nature.' At the time of her marriage she was already twenty-three, (something which was not lost on her critics), and had long since resigned herself to the necessity of making a grand match abroad. Contented and serene, Catherine's rather quaint response on being told of her impending nuptials was to request permission to make a pilgrimage to a favourite shrine of hers in Lisbon. Devoted to her beloved Portugal, as she set sail for England any distress she may have felt at leaving her family and her home was no doubt lessened by the knowledge that her marriage had been hailed as 'the welcomest news that ever came to the Portuguese people'.

Catherine became pregnant and miscarried three times, and during a severe illness in 1663, she thought, for a time, she had given birth. Charles comforted her by telling her she had indeed given birth to two sons and a daughter. Her position was a difficult one, though Charles continued to have children by his many mistresses, he insisted she be treated with respect, and sided with her over his mistresses when he felt she was not receiving the respect she was due. After her three miscarriages, it seemed to be more and more unlikely that the queen would bear an heir. Royal advisors urged the monarch to seek a divorce. hoping that the new wife would be a protestant and fertile, but Charles refused. This eventually led to her being a target by the courtiers.

She did not involve herself in English politics, instead she kept up an active interest in her native country. Anxious to re-establish good relations with the Pope and perhaps gain recognition for Portuguese independence, she sent Richard Bellings, later her principal secretary, to Rome with letters for the pope and several cardinals. In 1669 she involved herself in the relief of Candia in Crete, which was under siege by the Turks and whose cause Rome was promoting, although she failed to persuade her husband to take any action. In 1670, as a sign of her rising favour with the pontiff she requested, and was granted, devotional objects.

On the first presentation to Charles Maîtresse-en-titre, Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, who was created the Countess of Castlemaine (Lady Castlemaine), she fainted away when Charles insisted on making her Catherine's lady of the bedchamber. She accepted Castlemaine, however later withdrew from the king's society, and in spite of Clarendon's attempts to moderate her resentment, declared she would return to Portugal rather than consent to a base compliance. To overcome her resistance nearly the whole of her Portuguese retinue was dismissed. She was helpless, and the violence of her grief and anger soon changed to passive resistance, and then to a complete forbearance and complaisance which gained the king's regard and favor. In the midst of Charles's debauched and licentious court, she lived neglected and retired.

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Works Consulted

Plaidy, Jean. (2008). ''The Merry Monarch's Wife: The Story of Catherine of Braganza.'' Broadway. ISBN 0-307-34617-X

Plaidy, Jean. (2005). ''The Loves of Charles II: The Stuart Saga.'' Broadway. ISBN 1-4000-8248-X

Koen, Karleen. (2006). ''Dark Angels.'' Broadway. ISBN 0-307-33992-0

Sousa, Manuel E. (1995). ''Catherine of Braganza.'' Howell Press Inc. ISBN 978-9729019739

Elsna, Hebe. (1967). ''Catherine of Braganza : Charles II's Queen.'' Hale.

Mackay, Janet. (1937).''Catherine of Braganza.'' J. Long, Limited; First Edition edition.

Barnes, Margaret Campbell. (1951). ''With All My Heart: The Love Story of Catherine of Braganza.'' Macrae-Smith Company.

Women in Walpole's Gothic tale

Throughout The Castle of Otranto, a certain underlying theme becomes evident. One cannot hep but notice the important role that women play throughout the entire book. Every major event that takes place in the novel involves, happens because of, or affects a woman in some way. While the reader may not notice this on an initial reading, the role women play becomes very evident. Upon recalling the strange happenings of the book, one can easily trace their causes and effects back to Hippolita, Isabella, Matilda or Bianca. Each of these events create momentum for the story to move onward. Everything relies on what just happened, and the women of the story propel these happenings, and thus send the plot into motion.

'The Castle of Otranto'. Salvador Dalí

Isabella is the driving force behind almost every interesting action in The Castle of Otranto; she incites the actions of almost every character at least once throughout the book. One of these instances occurs when Isabella sneaks around underneath the castle, trying to escape from Manfred. As she makes her way to the trap door, she happens upon Theodore. Theodore helps her through the trap door, bit it slams behind her, leaving Theodore to be found by Manfred. Had she not been there, Manfred may have never discovered Theodore. If Manfred had not found him, the plot would be immensely affected in ways that are impossible to comprehend. Theodore would not have been connected to Isabella in any way; thus Manfred would have no reason to suspect him has her lover. Regardless of this speculation however, Isabella's character serves an important purpose by happening upon Theodore. If she never had shown up, Theodore would have no reason to repeatedly save her later in the book. Isabella brought Theodore into the book as a main character, and several of Walpole's plot twists wouldn't have been possible without him.

Isabella is not the only woman who affects the outcome of the book, however. Hippolita also plays a crucial role throughout in the novel. Hippolita acts as an enabler to Manfred. She basically forgoes all of her values and beliefs, solely for the purpose of keeping Manfred happy. If Hippolita were firmer in her beliefs and values, many events in the story would not have happened, or at least not as easily. One of the critical events that drives Manfred's frenzy becomes shows itself with the divorce of his wife. Had Hippolita not been so quick to agree with his wish, Manfred would have been preoccupied with that situation. As doubtful as it may be, Hippolita might have slowed him down, or at least turned more people against him, had she not given in to his wishes so readily.

Yet again, another woman's role becomes evident in the book. While considered a main character, Matilda does not seem to have too great of an impact throughout most of the story. Although she was the daughter that nobody cared about in the beginning, one cannot possibly ignore the role she plays at the end. By meeting Theodore underneath the castle, Matilda sets the stage for her own murder. If it were not for the death of Matilda, Manfred would not have ended up retiring to a convent with Hippolita; consequently, Theodore receives the rights to the castle. By falling in love with Theodore, Matilda seals the entire ending of the book.

'The Gothic in Demento'. Josiah Harrist

Throughout the book, one can notice that characters who play seemingly smaller roles can still affect the outsome of the story so profoundly. Although Matilda provides a mediocre example of affecting the outcome, Bianca demonstrates it even better. Although Bianca seems to be even less of a main character than Matilda, her actions greatly affect the happenings of the book. If it were not for Bianca, it is unlikely that Matilda and Theodore would have ever met. If they had not met, Matilda would never have been stabbed. The reader is left to contemplate a never-ending list of possibilities and possible outcomes, enhancing the plot, and keeping the novel captivating. Not only would Matilda have never been stabbed, Theodore also would not be alive if it were not for Bianca. If she had not screamed at just the right moment, Theodore would have been executed, and once again, the book would have had to end completely differently.

Another dimension is added to the book through the constant wondering and working out of different possibilities. Not only do the women of the book help to fuel the storylines, they also make you think while you are reading. The women in the story are crucial to both the plot, and each other. The actions of each woman in the story not only affect the actions of the other characters, but also of the the other women. The four main women depend on each other immensely, and if even one were missing, the story would not be communicated as effectively. Throughout the plot, they play off of one another, and thus complicate storylines and sub-plots even further. The mental aspect makes for an entrancing story, and is only one aspect of many that make The Castle of Otranto a truly enjoyable read.

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Works Consulted

Cohenour, Gretchen. "A Man's Home is His Castle: Bloodlines and The Castle of Otranto." EAPSU Journal of Critical and Creative Work. 5. (2008): 73-87.

---. "Eighteenth Century Gothic Novels and Gendered Spaces: What's Left to Say?" Diss. University of Rhode Island, 2008. ProQuest LLC, 2008.

Drakakis, John and Dale Townshend. Gothic Shakespeares. New York: Routledge, 2008.

Sentimental Novel: From Defoe to Richardson

Against the prevailing ideology (or philosophy) of the XVIIIth century –also called ‘The Age of Reason’, the epoch of the enlightenment, the time of the exaltation of the norm, science, logic, etc–,  the sentimental novel exalted feeling above reason. By doing so, it paved the way to the romanticism literature, becoming a forerunner of the gothic novel itself.

This fact does not imply that the sentimental novel was not a bourgeois genre, or that it did not serve the interests of the ideology of that social class that gave rise to the novel, or that it is not a realist genre; in my modest opinion, it was indeed a realist genre. Richardson, for example, responded to the concerns and needs of the middle classes, and used the language and the topics of the middle classes. But probably, the middle classes of the 1840s were more interested in intimate and human ‘transactions’ than in commercial transactions, that is, more interested in human relationships than in economic relations. Perhaps –and if it is allowed to add a note of sarcasm– people at this time had enough money and wealth and did not have to worry about those “materialistic” and “chrematistic” values. They finally had time for their sentiments, for human and private ‘transactions’. Their parents, the older generation, the Defoes and the novelists and middle classes of the early Augustan Age did probably not have so much time for this private and intimate “business”: they were too busy creating the economic and political establishment or system that their children –the new middle classes, the Richarsons, for instance– were now enjoying. In other words, the older generation had to spend all their time with, and based their novels on, economic and commercial transactions and, maybe not public or political affairs. To some kind of reading public, this change of topics make probably the sentimental novel more interesting than ‘the realist novel’ written in Defoe’s times. The next clip explains --even though it does it in Spanish-- what the sentimental novel is.

These observations are by no means intended to undervalue the sentimental novel. Neither are they intended to reduce the realist value of the sentimental novels written at that time. They shared with the rest of the realist novels not only style and content, but also a firm teaching purpose. As a matter of fact, they were welcomed by politicians, intellectuals and even clergymen as an ethical project, as a very efficient instrument for the sentimental education of the new society. The fact that they paved the way to the romantic rebellion of the following generation of artists and intellectuals is once again evidence of an undisputed truth: in each literary movement, trend, fashion... grows the seed of its overcoming or, sometimes, its destruction.

Samuel Richardson remains a vital figure in the history of the novel and of ideology. He initiates a discourse on sexual roles which, with all its ambiguities, is as important to nowadays’ reading public as it was in the mid-eighteenth century. His epistolary novel, Pamela (1740), was not a sudden innovation; novels in the form of letter were of fashion in France, and they had been popular for several decades, like Aphra Behn’s Love Letters between a Nobleman and his Sister. Richardson wanted to raise the tone of the literary works from the level of this kind of subject matter, and in doing so; he created a heroine for the times, a woman of feelings. Poor but virtuous, Pamela suffers a series of trials at the hands of Mr B, culminating in attempted rape. The contrast between female submission, which becomes a paragon of virtue and chastity admired by all in the novel, and male domination, with its implied sensuality, was immediately criticised as hypocritical, and parodied by Henry Fielding in Shamela.

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Works Cited

Armstrong, Nancy. "The Rise of the Domestic Woman." Rpt. in The Ideology of Conduct: Essays on Literature and the History of Sexuality, ed. Nancy Armstrong and Leonard Tennenhouse. New York: Methuen, 1987.
Armstrong, Nancy. Desire and Domestic Fiction : A Political History of the Novel. New York: Oxford University Press 1989, 1987.
Samuels, Shirley, ed. The Culture of Sentiment: Race, Gender, and Sentimentality in Nineteenth-Century England. New York : Oxford University Press, 1992. PS 217 S55 C85 1992.

Defoe's Realism versus Astell's Philosophy

The writings of Mary Astell present a unique but, until recently, largely forgotten intellectual female voice of late-seventeenth-century England –a voice significant to the European Enlightenment not only for its female perspective but for connecting seventeenth-century French rhetorical theory with the emerging philosophical and rhetorical developments of eighteenth-century Britain.

When Astell first began to publish in the 1690s, the Enlightenment ideals of rationality and empirical science were coming into vogue, and the intellectual center of Western Europe was in the process of shifting from France to London.  Ramus, Descartes, the Port Royalists, and Lamy were being read in their native tongue, translated to English, and appropriated by the British educated elite. The ideas of Whig philosopher and empiricist John Locke were gaining prestige in England. One of Mary Astell’s ideas is that marriage can be for money –as it was usual at the time– or for love –what is one of the newest sentimental features of the eighteenth century– which is supported by Tanya Evans in her article “Women, marriage and the family”.

In regard to her literary ties, the fact that Mary Astell was a source of inspiration for the ‘Group of the (16)90s’ is not an exception. The fact that she is a forerunner when she defines ‘marriage’ makes her being connected to authors who portrayed women such as Samuel Richardson or Daniel Defoe. Some scholars have considered Astell to be an anti-marriage author and a forerunner philosopher, but, maybe, they missed the idea that she was trying to support, education. Above all, Mary Astell is trying to defend education, and that is why she is against marriage, considering it a result of bad decisions done by uneducated women. In other words, due to the lack of education women marry and they let themselves to be slaves of their husbands. And it is precisely in this very complex axiom where Defoe and Astell share a female role.

Defoe’s Roxanna has no feelings and her coldness takes her to be practical and cautious. Roxanna does not consider marriage as a love agreement –as Tanya Evan supports as one of the ‘new’ reasons to get married at this time, in her article “Women, marriage and the family”– but as a power relation. Roxanna creates a verbal battle –a kind of game– which paves the path to Richardson’s Clarissa.

Although, Defoe is still influenced by the Puritan ideas that Mary Astell does not support. His Roxana’s sin has been to appreciate money and not the effort and hard work which have gone into amassing it: Roxanna’s death as a penitent affirms the Puritan ethic which she has spent her life transgressing. She is not the role-model for the woman of her time –the one that Tanya Evans affirms as the new woman of the time that is Mary Astell herself– because she is adventurous and pleasure-loving. It is not long before the novel provides a ‘complete’ female role-model in the work of Samuel Richardson.

'The Duchess' and women in the eighteenth century

At the end of the seventeenth century, Robert Burton said that England was “a Paradise for women and [a] hell for horses”. At first sight it is not easy to understand where the incongruity of this statement is, until one realises that women and horses were both living according to the way in which their masters wanted them to live. Evidently, some women did not find England such a paradise as men like Burton believed. In regards to this fact, scholars like Tanya Evans, in her article “Women, marriage and the family” stated that, even after ‘Lord Hardwicke’s Marriage Act of 1753’, which transformed marriage into a contract,

women continued to be defined as the property of their husbands and at no time during this period was the sexual double standard threatened. The adultery of a woman was always treated with more severity than that of a man. (64)

(Eighteenth-century typical woman)

This connects with the movie The Duchess or, generally speaking, with the story of Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire, an English aristocrat who married at a young age and suffers a variety of struggles in her marriage.

The movie, focused on her marriage to William Cavendish and on the crisis point of Georgiana’s affair with Charles, second Earl Grey, can be compared to Daniel Defoe’s Roxanna and the philosophical writings of Mary Astell, paying attention to the situation of women during the late seventeenth and the eighteenth centuries.

Right from the beginning one appreciates in Georgiana values such as youth, joy and naivety when she is told by her mother that she is going to get married. Such values would not be values for a character like Roxanna or for Mary Astell; both of them support experience and empirical knowledge as one of the only weapons that women can hold against oppression.

Some of the moments of the film let the audience to compare between Georgiana herself and her mother, for instance, when Georgiana’s mother told her to have patience, fortitude and resignation. This kind of values are important in order to understand Defoe’s Roxanna, because these are the type of qualities that a experienced woman has to understand –but not tolerate– in order to be integrated into society.

Finally, it is important to highlight Georgiana’s change in her way of being –and above all, of acting– when she realises that her husband only wants her in order to have a male heir. It’s then when the Duchess became more active, practical and decisive. This new female role is more similar to the one supported by Mary Astell in her essay “Some reflections upon marriage”.

Jonathan Swift: A multiple life, multiple perspective

Apart from being part of the “Scriblerus Club”, Jonathan Swift was a clergyman and one of the most important figures in literature. His satirical way of writing is probably the axis and the zenith of a mixture of roles that he played throughout his life: orphan, Anglo-Irish, misogynist, misanthropist … Some scholars have also supported the importance of his orphanage as the reason of his problematic sexual life, which is portrayed in fragments from Gulliver’s Travels where one can notice disgusting descriptions of women or scatological themes.

(Customhouse, Trinity College, Dublin)

In regards to his education, it is important to state that Swift had a formal education (Kilkenny School and Trinity College in Dublin) and that, when he decided to move to England, he became Sir William Temple’s secretary. Temple was one of the political Whig leaders and he played the role of father. Temple put the embryo of politics within Swift’s ideas, he also had access to Temple’s library in Moor Park.

(Moor Park, nowadays)

In this new setting, Swift met Esther Johnson –his famous ‘Stella’–. After meeting her, there will other two important women in his life: ‘Varina’ and ‘Vanessa’. Although he had very good relationships with these girl-friends, Sift never married; but the relationships with these girls influenced his literature almost as much as his political inclinations.

The political inclinations of Swift varied throughout his life. At the beginning of his life, he was influenced by Temple, and after living together ten years, when Temple died, Swift asked the British government for a reduction of taxes for Ireland, which was denied. This disappointment led him to be very critical of humans and to show this criticism in his writing. This is also related to the fact that Swift was a religious person. His general dislike of people is explained in the metaphor ‘humans are rationes capas’.

His writing career started with A Modest Proposal (1713), which satirically presented Irish people making a living for selling their children and their kidneys. Even though it was presented –and also understood– as a real proposal, his use of the cannibalistic metaphor symbolizes a mock on the English taxes over Ireland. Another critical approach refers to the comparison of the Irish and the American natives as an unprotected minority.

According to some his aims in writing, Swift dared to mock authority figures and criticise society in general, with ever-increasing venom. Following this pattern, his masterpiece Gulliver’s Travels (1726) is a severe attack on the political parties of the time, and on the pointlessness of religious controversial differences between Deism, Catholicism...