1996 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
A Study on Eighteenth-century Ideas of Women
| Project/Area Number |
07610472
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
英語・英米文学
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| Research Institution | Kumamoto University |
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Principal Investigator |
TAKIGUCHI Akiko Kumamoto University, General Education, Lecturer, 教養部, 講師 (20179576)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1995 – 1996
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| Keywords | Women's Studies / Women's Education / The Spectator / The Tatler / Mary Astell / History of Journalism / History of Educational Thought / Comparative History of Culture |
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| Research Abstract |
The aim of this research was to collect, classify and evaluate fundamental texts related to women's problems in eighteenth-century England. Among various problems, women's reading, conversation and education were chosen as main subjects of investigation.
The sources of research were chiefly early English periodicals such as The Tatler and The Spectator. In addition, seventeenth-century French authors like Fenelon and Poullain de la Barre were also included because of their great influence upon contemporary thoughts on women's problems.
The Spectator (1711-1714) is famous for its sincere concern for women. Addison and Steele, endeavoring to achieve women's "inward Improvement, " suggested making "A Lady's Library" or catalog of good books for women. On the other hand, The Tatler, predecessor of The Spectator, attacked Mary Astell's A Serious Proposal to the Ladies (1964) and ridiculed her idea of founding an institution for women's higher education, namely a women's college.
In the first place, I have collected books and periodicals discussing the problem of women's intellectual improvement. Secondly, I read and compared those texsts with a view to find the differences and similarities among them. Finally, this study shows us that there were people who believed in women's intellectual and moral improvement in the early eighteenth century and that some of them even tried to build a women's college.
I am now planning to keep studying early periodicals, especially The Athenian Mercury (1691-1696). It was a pioneer journal which tried to and actually did promote popular education. The Athenian Mercury recognized the importance of women's education and never satirized the learned ladies. It seems very important to continue this kind of research of journalism and literature in order to clarify different ideas of women's learning in early modern Englang.
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