Write a comparison of the ways in which ideas about female transgression is presented in these two extracts from "The Virgin and the Gypsy" and "The Lady of Shalott".
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Write a comparison of the ways in which ideas about female transgression is presented in these two extracts The Virgin and The Gipsy was written by D. H Lawrence in 1930 and explores the character, Yvette, transcending outside social norms and falling ‘violently in love’ with a gipsy. One of the ways female transgression has been described in this text is by effects on the body, decisions and how transgression becomes a significant action, which allows a woman to live beyond the constraints of society. Lawrence uses literary techniques such as imagery and irony to explain how transgression affects the body. When Lucille shouts at her grandmother, condemning her for a vicious comment about her mother, Lawrence uses imagery to show the significance of this action. ‘The old woman’s breast began to heave with heaven knows what emotions. The pause this time, as after the thunderbolt, was icy.’ This may make the reader feel suspense and tension, as there is a moment of uncertainty as to whether the grandmother will retaliate. There is a degree of irony as words such as ‘heaven’ and ‘thunderbolt’ is used. This could suggest that the grandmother has often portrayed herself as a follower of the rules, thus being the epitome of
good will and moral character, her morality being transcendent. The combination of the two words insinuate a domain that is beyond human corruption, which the grandmother is part of, because she has not transcend beyond society’s rules. Forster explores a similar view that passion and love are replaced by society’s restricting guidelines. ‘Love felt and returned, love which our bodies exact and our hearts have transfigured, love which is the most real thing that we shall ever meet reappeared now as the world’s enemy and she must stifle it.’ In Room with a View, Lucy becomes engaged to Cecil Vyse ...
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good will and moral character, her morality being transcendent. The combination of the two words insinuate a domain that is beyond human corruption, which the grandmother is part of, because she has not transcend beyond society’s rules. Forster explores a similar view that passion and love are replaced by society’s restricting guidelines. ‘Love felt and returned, love which our bodies exact and our hearts have transfigured, love which is the most real thing that we shall ever meet reappeared now as the world’s enemy and she must stifle it.’ In Room with a View, Lucy becomes engaged to Cecil Vyse and discharges the compelling line of attraction that trails towards George Emerson. Forster combines love with the body, making them one, however the authoritative word ‘must’ is used to command Lucy to stifle it. This may make love and passion appear like a vital element of life, as it is a bodily need as well as an emotion. It gains it’s own identity, through the use of personification, as it is described as ‘the world’s enemy’ to show how society tries to eradicate it. Unlike Yvette in the Virgin and the Gispy, Lucy instantly rejects her passion for George Emerson, as she does not wish to transcend society because she is unsure of the consequences. However, Yvette’s want to ‘fall violently in love’ displaces the idea of calamitous consequences. This can also be seen in the Lady of Shalott by Tennyson. The Lady of Shalott ‘in her web delights To weave the mirror’s magic sights, For often thro’ the silent nights, A funeral, with plumes and lights.’ The imagery and the metaphor of the word ‘web’ implies that the Lady of Shalott is trapped by society’s grip, trapping her into a sphere where ‘she lives with little joy or fear.’ A feminist perspective might suggest that this is the consequence of a patriarchal society, as men dominate women in many areas of life and thus eradicate their emotions, forcing them to live with detachment and numbness. The use of the word ‘funeral’ could be foreshadowing, suggesting the consequence of society’s constraints lead to a woman’s death, emotionally, mentally and physically. However, unlike the Lady of Shalott, Lucy does not suffer such extreme consequences when she transcends. On the other hand, the Lady of Shalott’s death could be seen as her release. Transcending beyond society and breaking the rules could make her death the symbol of liberation, demonstrating how limiting society is, as death is seen better than life. Lawrence describes transgression by describing the actions of those who transcend or condemn transgression. ‘Then Aunt Cissie, livid, sprang upon Lucille, pushing her like a fury.’ An element of hypocrisy may be detected because Aunt Cissie succumbs to her emotions. The simile ‘like a fury’ and imagery ‘livid’ portray Aunt Cissie like an animal, far from society’s subdued rules of living. While Yvette and Lucille are condemned for their outbursts, Aunt Cissie and the grandmother are impervious to these standards and this demonstrations the central problem with society limiting women to guidelines. Even those who exert sanctions upon those who transcend, express an element of transcending themselves. This may surprise the reader, as the grandmother and Aunt Cissie act like they are the arbiters of morality and role models of society’s values. This can also be seen in Room with a View, where there is a degree of perplexity about the standards of good and wrong. ‘There was a haze of disapproval in the air, but whether the disapproval was of herself, or of Mr. Beebe, or of the fashionable world at Windy Corner, or of the narrow world at Tunbridge Wells, she could not determine.’ Charlotte, Lucy’s cousin, often expresses disapproval about everything in the novel. However, Lucy is aghast to the stratified system of approval and disapproval, and this can be seen by the various suggestions. The triadic structure may make the reader feel perplexed as well as the characters, allowing them to empathise with Lucy. But it also suggests that society is confused as well, creating rules of disapproval, which leads to hypocrisy as even antagonists such as the grandmother and Aunt Cissie appear to transcend beyond. To conclude, transgression is an important action that allows a woman to become liberated. While there may be consequences, such as Yvette being the subject of Aunt Cissie’s and granny’s fury, this character moves beyond the social constraints in order to become a liberated woman. This could be compared with the Lady of Shalott. The symbolism of her escape is magnanimous and underlines the extent to which she transcends. The quickening pace of the poem, which is the result of Tennyson adjusting from an iambic to trochaic tetrameter, crystalises her transcendence. While her death is tragic, it could also be seen as her liberation from a straightjacket, patriarchal society that tries to prevent her action of surpassing society.
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emmerzpianogmailcom (student)
