Marguerite Duras: The Lover

"Very early in my life it was too late. At eighteen it was already too late. I aged. This aging was brutal. It spread over my features, one by one. I saw this aging of my face with the same sort of interest I might have taken, for example, in the reading of a book. That new face, I kept it. It's kept the same contours, but it's like it is destroyed. I have a destroyed face."

-Thus begins The Lover

Her life experiences are written on her face, in the author's opinion, her life has destroyed her face... I see superficial parallels to Oscar Wilde's, The Portrait of Dorian Grey!

Joan of Arc and Gender

Joan of Arc was a symbol of feminist militant martyrdom and Ardor to 17th and 18th century feminists. The suffrage movement used Joan as an archetypal figure of holy and righteous militancy by women attempting to "re-inhabit the empty body of female allegory, to reclaim its meanings in behalf of the female sex." she represented the chastity, courage, and persecution of female militancy. Furthermore, Joan of Arc defied gender categories; Ironically, she transcended femininity while simultaneously representing femininity.

Sexual Anarchy

(From Notes Derived in Class on March 22nd, 2009)

Well-behaved Women rarely make history, mainly because history has notoriously supported the sight of women, rather than the sound.

In an article entitled, Sexual Anarchy, the history of women's sexuality is examined; we find (unsurprisingly) men and women had very divergent opinions regarding sexual intercourse, marriage, and feminism.

17th and 18th Century England found themselves concerned with how to provide for superfluous women in the community, (or women who continued to age without marrying.)

Few men, such as Jesse Boucherett argued that unmarried women should "engage freely in all occupations suited to their strength..."

More commonly, however, men argued that women MUST marry for personal and medical reasons. If a suitable mate could not be found in Europe, than women should be shipped to the colonies where men were abundant and women seldom. "Physicians promoted the idea that women needed sexual intercourse... as the evil results of abstinence are ESPECIALLY noticeable in women. Furthermore, Dr. Charles Taylor, an American obstetrician, warned that unmarried women needed to protect their health by finding other outlets for their 'unemployed functions' or suffer the consequences of 'disturbance and weakness'".

Naturally, Women found this diagnosis to be a crock a SH*T. Celibacy, according to feminists, was not harmful, but healthful.

Some women went on to say, "intercourse was inherently an abusive and dangerous act and sperm was a virulent poison composed of alcohol, nicotine, and venereal germs." Intercourse was necessary only for reproductive reasons and should only take place every couple of years, according to Fransis Swiney: Uber feminist.

By the turn of the century feminists and suffragist saw celibacy as a "silent strike" against oppressive relations with men.

Men responded by describing women as lesbians, angular spinsters, hysterical feminists, and members of the shrieking sister hood, etc.

It was easier for men to justify a woman's desire for emancipation as a mental unbalance rather than believe a women to be his equal.

FUN FACTS OF SEXUAL ANARCHY ARTICLE: ACCORDING TO A RECENT STUDY, "COLLEGE EDUCATED WOMEN WHO ARE STILL SINGLE AT AGE 30 HAVE ONLY A 20% CHANCE OF MARRYING. BY 35, THE CHANCE DROPS TO 5%. 40 YEAR OLD WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE KILLED BY A TERRORISTS THAN TIE THE KNOT. (EXACT ODDS= 2.6%) YIKES!!!

The Faustian Theory as related to the Portrait of Dorian Gray...

Oscar Wilde’s infamous tale, The Portrait of Dorian Gray boasts reoccurring themes inimitable to European culture, most notoriously expounded in Faust (Latin for "auspicious" or "lucky"). The Faust legend was well known to Wilde through popular culture, it raises the question of eternal damnation due to the unpardonable sin of despondency. According to Faustian legend, the devil persuades a German necromancer and astrologer to sell his soul in exchange for all he desires, more specifically knowledge and power. Although it is unquestionably a sin for the Faustian character to craft an agreement with a demonic figure, he can escape at any moment by repenting and humbly asking for God’s forgiveness. However, the character usually believes his actions are beyond God’s forgiveness- an insult to God according to Christianity. The moral of this disastrous story is that a man’s soul is worth more than tangible objects. Furthermore, escaping the moral consequences of one’s actions is both impracticable and impossible. Oscar Wilde’s, The Portrait of Dorian Gray is comparable to the Faustian legend in many aspects.

Dorian Gray parallels a Faustian character in his quest to eternally maintain his youth and beauty. Gray is distressed that he will age while the portrait maintains its youth. “If only the reverse were true”, he says, “if only I would remain young while the portrait grows old. I would give my soul for that!” Gray’s admitted desire to escape the horrid signs of age introduces the Faust theme, which Wilde develops throughout the book. Dorian enters into a Faustian agreement as he pleads for perpetual youth while the progression of aging is restricted to the portrait.
The portrait represents Gray’s soul or personal morality. Dorian believes the portrait will relieve him from the consequences of his own immorality. Thus, unlike Faust, Gray fails to redeem himself. According to the Faust legend, Faust sold his soul for 24 years of pleasure. Faust then repents, and redeems himself through good works. Although Dorian Gray makes a desultory attempt to reform, he ultimately fails to redeem himself, and consequently destroys himself.

In The Portrait of Dorian Gray, Lord Henry is a manipulative figure. In the context of the Faust legend, if Lord Henry is not literally the devil, he undoubtedly plays the devil’s advocate by manipulating Dorian’s inexperience and leading him into a demonic contract. Lord Henry continuously coaxes Dorian to indulge in a depraved and decadent lifestyle. As Dorian’s most intimate confidant, Lord Henry’s influence decidedly impacts Dorian’s lifestyle and actions. Unfortunately, Lord Henry persuades Dorian to espouse an ideology toward life that will cost him dearly.
Although Lord Henry may not necessarily be aware of his responsibility in Dorian’s downfall, he admitingly participates in the art of manipulation and enjoys controlling people. Lord Henry maintains the role of tempter at various predicaments in Dorian's life. For example, Henry encourages Dorian to view Sibyl Vane’s death from a detached point of view, like an episode in a play. Wilde purposefully wrote Lord Henry’s character in conjunction with the Faustian Devil.
The legend of the man who sold his soul to the Devil is one of the most resilient myths in western folklore. "Faust" (and the adjective "Faustian") has taken on a subtext unlike its original, and is often used currently to depict an individual whose willful desire for self-fulfillment leads him or her in a diabolical direction. Althouh Wilde dressed up the characters in The Portrait of Dorian Gray, the Faustian context was not lost in translation. His message and moral was still unequivocally clear: a man’s soul is worth more than tangible objects. Furthermore, escaping the moral consequences of one’s actions is both impracticable and impossible.