In Evelina,
readers are introduced to a charming and charismatic leading character. Evelina
struggles to find her identity, while attempting to construct a good
reputation. This proves to be exceedingly difficult given the countless
contradictory rules on social etiquette held by the English society of the 18th
century. Upon entering this society, Evelina is quickly sought after by
multiple men, all enticed by her innocence and beauty. Perhaps another key
factor that attracts these men to Evelina is her uniqueness? Being new to high
society, Evelina proves herself to be different (though she does her best to
conform). Although one can actively support the idea that women of this society
(and arguably those of our society today) are under enormous pressure to follow
a certain criteria for being a woman, another idea is that unique women are in
a sense celebrated in the media throughout time.
To me, it is Evelina’s unique qualities that really
contribute to her charm. Evelina reminds me of Elizabeth Bennet of Pride and Prejudice, another female
character that struggles conforming to high society while maintaining an
identity. Though Elizabeth’s story takes place after Evelina’s (19th
century), there exist many commonalities between them. The two are lively, intelligent
and intuitive, as well as deemed attractive by many of the men they encounter.
The aspects of the two characters that make them so admirable, to me, are their
feelings of alienation from society. They see through the formalities, the
absurdities, and the tricks played on them by other characters in the novels.
This makes one wonder that perhaps it was, in a way, celebrated to be
different. 
Works Cited
(500) Days of Summer. N.d. Photograph. Hot Saas's Pop Culture Safari. Web. 6 Feb. 2014. <http://newslang89.wordpress.com/2013/09/01/500-days-of-summer/>.
Evelina. N.d. Photograph. The Burney Centre. McGill University. Web. 6 Feb. 2014. <http://burneycentre.mcgill.ca/other_evelina.html>.
Hermione Granger. N.d. Photograph. Harry Potter Wiki. Web. 6 Feb. 2014. <http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Memory_Charm>.
Pride and Prejudice. N.d. Photograph. G Pop. Web. 6 Feb. 2014. <http://www.g-pop.net/pride_prejudice.htm>.
While reading Evelina, I was never able to understand the idea that all these men were so intrigued by her. Was she that beautiful, or did they just like the idea of "the new girl"? I don't doubt that Evelina proved her uniqueness, being new to society and all, I just think she did it without trying. Maybe that's what made her seem so innocent? I think you're right about women being under a lot of pressure to follow a certain image that society has set for them; although I don't know what the standards were in the 17th century, but one can only imagine how overwhelmed Evelina felt with being new to this life style and having all these stranger men falling for her left and right. She always found herself speechless (which, I found, was a little repetitive at times; more reaction, coming from her point of view, would have been interesting to read).
ReplyDeleteI think you make excellent points with the connections you made with Elizabeth Bennet, and even with the moderns; Hermione Granger and Summer. I think the uniqueness of the protagonist character is key, nobody is going to want to read/watch anything that's ordinary. The beauty of literature and movies is this idea of an alternate universe that teaches us all that being different from the rest of society isn't always a bad thing.
Therefore saying, I think being unique is something people should learn to love about themselves. It worked for Evelina, and it can work for 21st century individuals as well.
I find your comments on Evelina really interesting. It's true that the men in the novel seek out Evelina's innocence and I find that rather horrible. It seems almost as if her innocence attracts them because they want to be the ones to corrupt her, bringing her down to their level. Innocence is seen as a very feminine quality and yet in the novel they describe it as very rare. The other female characters don't hold the same type of innocence as Evelina does and I find that portrayal by Frances Burney quite intriguing.
ReplyDeleteThe other characters you associated with Evelina made me smile. Summer in "(500) days of Summer" is a great character with many similarities. It is unfortunately too often that society deems a woman a prude or a promiscuous figure, someone either nurturing or careless. I find that Summer is someone that can be seen as a promiscuous figure, as well as careless yet she has a defined personality and that rather than careless she is bold. Evelina, on the other hand, is also someone who society tries to grasp with in its constraints and label in the most deprecating sort of way. It is in society's eye that a person becomes a series of labels and terms, and what I loved about the novel was how those restraints were constantly pushed and put down. Then the novel seen as quite comical affair takes a more serious turn.
Thank you for sharing your input! I would have never associated Summer or Hermione with Evelina and seeing the comparison has made me think things through in another perspective.
In theory, uniqueness is viewed as some extraordinary, rare and uncommon characteristic which everyone should strive to be. But when it comes to reality, many people do not appreciate the beauty and fascination of unusual or different people and would prefer they conform and yield to everybody's expectations. It is true that in many films and novels characters who are divergent or peculiar are that much more captivating and entertaining that your typical run of the mill character.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, when asked whether we are supposed to conform or be unique, my answer would definitely be the latter. Everything is so much better when you don't have to worry about fitting in or saying the right thing in social situations. Having a character like Evelina makes the novel much more interesting and entertaining because she is different and because she is unique. Hermione is such a strong and admired character because of her differences and her actions. The idea of conformity seems incredibly boring and dull so I believe that unique is the way to go! Your post was very interesting and I quite liked your comparisons to the modern world.
I thought your post was really interesting!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that is Evelina's differences (in comparison to them women she encounters in high society) that set her apart from everyone else, and draw numerous men to her. I think that initally, the men are interested in her because she is new, which, by default, makes her appear exciting and different. She isn't someone they have encountered before, which provokes them to chase after her. This almost dehumanizes her because, they are, I believe, going after her for the wrong reasons.
You and I have previously discussed the idea of being unique and you brought up the point that everyone is the same amount of unique, but not everyone necessarily shows their uniqueness, or not as much as others. I fully agree with this point, and I believe that some restrain their unique qualities or characteristics more because they fear others' reactions. Most people strive to be well liked, and some fear that should they stray from conformity, they will be alienated or rejected. In my opinion, people should let go of that fear because they become much less interesting if they are acting like something they're not rather than being candid.
I liked the examples you pulled from modern cinema and literature. They complemented Evelina really well.
Although I do think that in the era of Evelina and Pride and Prejudice, framing a leading female character as someone who stands out from their peers is a statement from the author to encourage women to be viewed as something other than a classic beauty. However, in this day and age we don't have to rely on being unique, quirky or on affirming our individuality to gain respect or value. Whether we say something witty at dinner or not doesn't matter. In a way, our need to define ourselves as individuals is quite overrated and to be frank, I find it tiring to see so many people so self aware. In this day and age we are given the equal opportunity to actively live beyond what we wear or say and to me, that's all that should matter.
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