ENG 104H Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Hartford, Connecticut, Postpartum Depression, Harriet Beecher Stowe
Document Summary
Lecture #3 - the yellow wallpaper : key terms and historical context. Developed with the industrial revolution emphasized : men left the house for work, women took care of the domestic sphere. Believed that separation of men"s and women"s roles (spheres) was natural and biological (god"s will) Men in public sphere: politics, economy, commerce, law. Women in private sphere: domestic life & moral education. Moral education was very important, their job was to make sure their family stayed moral. These were idealized roles and were always only available to certain groups. Does not apply to slaves, lower class who had to work. Taken from a very popular poem at that time. 4 pillars of what womanhood should be: pure, pious, domesticity, submission. Fed by cultural anxiety over lower birth rates, immigration. Irish, italian immigrants- it was important to moms to maintain certain culture/moral senses in their children. Didactic fiction: teaches how to be a good woman.
