A Sensitive Response of the Eighteenth Century - Essay Example

A sensitive response of the eighteenth century The Romantic era (1850-1920) marked a change from the ical conservatism and restraint to expressionism and emancipation. The eighteenth century was a period of balance and sometimes pretence as well. The changes occurring during this time have enabled in shaping the modern day England. The society was more or less divided into classes and the men during this period made most of the money in the household while the women were supposed to manage the household work. Corset was used to shape the body of the woman while wearing costumes while men shaved their heads clean and wore wigs, which were easier to manage. Dresses were also quite decorative in nature. This clearly reveals the mark of artificial pretence and show. The society was more oriented towards utilitarian perspective and showing unnecessary passion towards animals was resented. All useless animals like dogs were to be killed and not given any food. However the rules were clear and precise for the poor who believed in steady work, avoiding alcohol, not keeping pets, staying away from bad company and to be quiet and content. Wealth was used as a means of differentiating and distinguishing the upper class from the middle class people. Poverty and diseases were common in the society and especially among the lower class people. Education was mainly received by the men from the upper classes (especially University level education) and only men were allowed to attend schools. This kept the poor people tied in the viscous circle where lack of education kept them away from any proper means of earning. Alexander Pope, in his “An Essay On Man And Other Poems” reflects the 18th century’s definition of human society and man’s nature. According to Pope, God existed and man might think that his life is chaotic but it is in reality a part of the ordered plan of the Divine. He sarcastically highlights the insensibility of man towards the animals in his poem “An Essay on Man” – “The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed today, Had he thy reason, would he skip and play? Pleasd to the last, he crops the flowry food, And licks the hand just raisd to shed his blood.” (Pope, III, line 5-8) Pope compares this insensitive nature of the British man to that of the Indians who have immense faith in God and are somewhat superstitious but they still have a safer world. He also highlights the torment that the slaves went through in these times and described the state where they would have their own “native land to behold”. God sees everyone as equal and the slaves have invested all their faith in God. The following lines have emphasized what the slaves went through and why they would like to escape to some distant land that they could call their own: “No fiends torment, no Christians thirst for gold. To be, contents his natural desire, He asks no angels wing, no seraphs fire; But thinks, admitted to that equal sky.” (Pope, III, 32-35) In contrast to this, romanticism implies feeling, imagination and intuition. Although romanticism has been used to refer to certain trend of art and music, this mainly refers to nationalism as far as its key ideas are concerned. Nationalism was thus a key vehicle of he romantic era. The main change has brought about in terms of orientation of thoughts and the approach to different aspects of the surrounding. Authors and novelists have attempted to portray the man of feeling and sensibility in their own ways. Henry Mackenzie has made a remarkable attempt in framing the “Man Of Feeling” in his novel. It is undeniably one of the most influential works of the eighteenth century sentimental fiction. The novel gives shape to the character of Harley, who is represented as an aristocrat who has lost all his riches and wealth. He is on his journey from the rural estate to London and back to his hometown in search of financial wealth. Sentiment and sensibility are combined with true virtue while sensitivity is the mark of the man with feelings. The story of Harley also acquaints the reader with historical changes that were transforming the economy, landscape and relations in the society of the 18th century in England and Scotland. The book has been written in the backdrop of intellectual debates concerning sensibility and sympathy. The author has shown how such men are unsuited to powerful and authoritative position and are fragile by nature. He also talks about the eighteenth century man and his behavior, highlighting how the man of feelings is going to look upon him. He describes once such man who has come to supper along with Harley and his friend, with the words: “When supper-time came, he quarreled with every dish at the table, he… filled his pipe without taking any more notice of Harley or his friend as if no such persons had been in the room.” (Mackenzie, 1771, 29) he is conservative in his approach and we have already come to know that he abjured all confidence in anything of human form.” (Mackenzie, 1771, 29) The new role of man has altered the previous role of masculinity, which can be illustrated by the ideal Roman citizen, orator, patriot and patriarch. The author describes this traditional man as he compares the elder brother with the younger brother, saying, “But his elder brother… was naturally impetuous, decisive and overbearin.” (Mackenzie, 1771,28) The new age man of the romantic era is supposed to be expressive and laugh and cry with equal emotions as that of a female. The word effeminate is often associated with their names by both the male and the female. According to Wollstonecraft, "Nothing pleases us more than to observe in other men a fellow feeling with all the emotions of our own breast" (1995, 171). Smith also presribed the necessity of such feminine virtues for men with respect to the ultra civilized societies. The new hero of the romantic era and the civilized society is the man who did not follow any conventions whether it is conventional obedience or external reason. He is the one who values the present moment over future plans and the unspoken words over the spoken words. The sensible man like Harley is supposed to value the feelings over reasons and stands in contrast to man as the protector and provider carrying his weapon and firmly grounded feet. The novel represents Mr. Harley as a man of lesser gentry who possesses property but is not wealthy. The concerns of the author rest in the ability of the man to sympathize and comfort people who are in need. The readers are given the authority to judge the protagonists by ourselves. More than any real plot, the idea is to present different scenarios where Harley finds himself witnessing different people in pitiful states and he attempts to help the insane, indigent, prisoners, soldiers and prostitutes out of their poor situation. This imparts more of a character study. The man Harley is sent on a voyage to London in order to find a property grant to increase his fortunes. The concept is akin to that of an innocent countrywoman venturing into the withering city of London and facing the stark reality. Similarly Harley experiences some rude awakenings and misadventures in London and this would perhaps lead the reader to think whether excessive sensibility was of any boon to the person who possessed it or to the ones around him. The author describes the man with feelings as, “his fancy and his feeling were invincible obstacles to eminence in a situation, where his fancy had no room for exertion and his feeling experienced perpetual disgust.” (Mackenzie, 1771, 28) It makes us think whether such a man of feeling ever going to exist in today’s society or in the context of the modern world or whether one needs self interest in order to survive in the social world. The author describes Harley’s reactions as he visits the dismal mansions at Bedlam. Both he and his female companions asked the guide to return as they found the house in a state of “incurable madness”. Thus, the author carefully identifies the feelings of the man with those of the women around him and this substantiates his effeminate nature. Harley shows his sensitivity when he comments, “the passions of men are temporary madhouses; and sometimes very fatal in their effects.” (Mackenzie, 1771, 26) He shows his emotions when he cries at the story of the young woman whose lover died on a voyage to the West Indies – “Though this story was told in very plain language, it had particularly attracted Harleys notice; he had given it the tribute of some tears” (Mackenzie, 1771, 26). He is also described as bashful and the author says, “Harley was one of the latter species of bashful animals” out of the two kinds, mentioned by Mr. Silton. He has described this type as, “ a consciousness, which the most delicate feelings produce and the most extensive knowledge cannot always remove.” (Mackenzie, 1771, 13) In this manner the sensitive man of feeling has been described as a person who would cry and touch the hearts of others, someone of who is conscious like a female and also one who dresses well at supper. The story has thus formed a bridge between the eighteenth century culture and the behavior of a man in the Romantic era. It describes the bleak surrounding of the century and shows how the sensitive eye of the man with feelings view and react to the surroundings. The Scottish author thus describes the eighteenth century’s status of the economic and political world and talks about how Harley, an Englishman with feelings would react to this dismal surrounding of the century. The novel criticizes and at the same time appreciates the compassion and fellow feeling discovered in a man. References: Mackenzie, Henry, The Man of Feelings, Oxford University Press, 2001 Pope, Alexander, The Essay on Man and Other Poems, 1994, retrieved on December 10, 2007 from: http://www.ilovepoetry.com/viewpoem.asp?id=4620 Wollstonecraft, Mary. A Vindication of the Rights of Men & A Vindication of the Rights of Women. Sylvia Tomaselli, ed. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1995. Read More