This document is inclusive of a high-level essay that analyses the carried meanings and created representations in an extract taken from the Ladies Book of Etiquette, written by Florence Hartley.
Text A embodies an extract taken from The Ladies Book of Etiquette, written by Florence
Hartley. The text captures the oppression of women in the 1860s, along with the harsh
expectations set during this era. The 1860’s, (a time when proto-feminism increased in
popularity, as a result of extracts such as Text A) - coincides with the beginning of the eternal
battle for equal rights among men and women. Hartley's approach to promoting etiquette
strongly emphasized its role in the social aspects of women and their interactions with
individuals, in particular – men and the respected elderly in their life. This text is evidently a
‘manual’ written for women to abide by, thus the intended audience being young female
adults, perhaps those with less experience with ‘proper’ etiquette and elocution. Text A
advertises the desire for women to seek overt prestige, in order to meet the demands of the
social class systems of society. Published with the purpose to promote ‘femininity’ and
suitable behaviour for women at the time; this advocates a strict criterion that was being
normalized as standard behaviour for women in the 1860s. In the Book of Etiquette, women
are represented as lacking autonomy, a possession and an object. Often done through the
comparison with a domestic animal due to certain jargon being used or gender marked terms.
Through the analysis of lexis, grammar, pragmatics and the significance of contextual factors
related to the time period. The representation of women and the meanings implied through
Text A will be fully discussed.
The text resembles a suitable guide for women to follow during the time period, the writer
utilizes certain linguistic features to reinforce the strict criteria of expectations set for women.
The use of the imperative form changes the tone of the text. ‘Stop’ and ‘Avoid’, these
commands leave women with no room for freedom in their daily routine. As Hartley
demanded women follow her guide of etiquette. Not only does this restrict the freedom for
women, but also represents them as children – lacking autonomy as a harsh authority
overrules their decisions. Similarly, this is also represented though the anaphora of ‘Never’.
The writer reinforces their orders with the same opening, this may question the intelligence of
women as the writer emphasizes the importance of her instructions, with no room for
discussion or exception. Perhaps reinforcing the idea that exemplary etiquette was not an
option but compulsory. The writer describes women in regards to their martial status,
‘married’ – this represents women as a possession and their significance in relation to a man.
Advocating the idea that there is a level of expected loyalty from a woman, without reference
to the expectations of a man in a marriage. The comparative verb ‘better’ suggests the
difference between goodness and disobedience at the time. The women being referred to in
this text are further demanded to suppress any human emotion – almost representing them as
animals. Through the material verb ‘laugh’, the writer advocates the repression of this natural
human instinct – further the writer uses animal jargon such as ‘breeding’, connoting
similarities to animals. Additionally, the writer uses subjective ideas disguised to be
objective, ‘It is not polite’, the adverb ‘not’ modifies the adjective polite to display a negative
undertone. The lexeme ‘polite’ comes from the Latin word ‘refined’, almost representing
women as a product of perfection. This standard of ‘politeness’ is also regarded within the
extract as the writer uses euphemisms in order to sound less direct or derogatory – ‘Save
yourself from all further perplexity’, this specific quote implies purity and virtue from
women, indicating that they should not be influenced by anything they are confronted with, in
order to maintain a prestige reputation. In terms of lexis, women are represented for their lack
of autonomy and are often seen to be compared with animalistic jargon, further reinforcing
their vulnerability in society at the time.
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