Gordis
ENG BC3180y
Spring 2007

READING MARGARET FULLER

Fuller's Woman in the Nineteenth Century (1845) is a challenging text. As we consider this text, we'll need to be attentive to a range of contexts. You'll want, for example, to consider Fuller's position in the circle of New England Transcendentalists. Fuller was close to Emerson, both personally and intellectually, and edited the Dial. In what ways are her ideas similar to Emerson's? How similar is her call for self-reliance to Emerson's, for example? Is her text formally or stylistic similar to Emerson's writings? Identify imagery that seems related to Emerson's imagery, such as Fuller's treatment of spheres. How do her spheres function differently from Emerson's?

It's also worth considering Fuller as an early feminist voice in America. What feminist concerns does this text articulate? What does she suggest about the position of women in the nineteenth century? Think carefully about her title. Is it significant that she considers "woman" as opposed to "women"? If so, what might this suggest? How does Fuller respond to what's been called the Cult of True Womanhood, the nineteenth-century faith in women as agents of moral influence centered in the home and counteracting the outside world of business and economic competition? Does Fuller accept this division of roles? In her text, does she encourage women to overturn this structure, or to work within it? What kinds of power does she attribute to women?

You'll want to consider the structure and style of this text as well. How does Fuller organize her argument? What kinds of texts does she incorporate? What materials does she draw on to support her argument?

Some readers are frustrated by the theoretical or philosophical preoccupations of this text. How does Fuller relate the theoretical realm to practical issues? Note also that while it's tempting to read her absence from the American suffrage movement as an indication of her theoretical bent, Fuller was out of the country for several years before her death. Can you imagine her participating in the fight for woman suffrage in the United States? Why or why not?

The Norton Critical edition of Woman in the Nineteenth Century includes a range of supplementary material, including background material on Fuller and her circle, early reviews, and more recent critical treatments of Fuller. Explore these materials as you see fit, depending on your interest and on your midterm schedule. Of particular interest are accounts of discussions with Emerson on marriage from Fuller's 1842 journal (184, 186-7) and her comments on "The Poet" and Nature (198-9).