Construction Of Female Subjectivity In Millennium Hall

Sarah Scott is an important member of “ Bluestockings Circle”, and a famous prolific writer, historian, and social reformer in eighteenth century Britain. Her novel, Millennium Hall, has gained a great attention for the theme of utopia and the deep reflection on women’s situation. Some scholars have studied this novel in such respects as utopia, space and gender,and gift exchange etc., while this thesis will focus on how female subjectivity is constructed in which intellect plays a significant role.Subjectivity is social and personal being that negotiate with broad cultural prescriptions and one’s own ideals. Female subjectivity emphasizes the power and ability which women should assert and be provided with. It also stresses that the “self” plays a significant role in viewing and changing the world and women should take initiative to promote and perfect their “self” in this aspect of ability, intellectuality and personal development etc. The eighteenth century British society boosted such kind of femininity as chastity, subordination,propriety and innocence etc. and viewed independent and intellectual women as flirtatious and even sexually promiscuous. Such sexual and gender conventions greatly constrained women’s exertion of ability.This thesis will try to demonstrate how the female characters in Millennium Hall as well as the author Sarah Scott interrogate and challenge the dominated cultural ideology which imprisons women’s minds and regulates their behaviors. They start a new path of life for self-knowledge in negotiation with marriage, love and spiritual pursuit and transgress in an intellectual way the control of disciplinary power and thus have a new cognition of the “self”,the other people, and the world.Chapter One focuses on the women’s painful realization happiness does not lie in suppression of female subjectivity. Although Melvyn and Mancel are well educated, originally,their thoughts are greatly restrained by the sexual prejudice and conventional norms. In order to meet other people’s desire, Melvyn and Mancel conceal their own feelings and emotions,but they receive a miserable life. What’s more, women are educated to be innocent and thoughtless, even to indulge in luxury consumption, in such way to imprison their minds and deprive of their ability to see through man’s intrigue. Mary Jones is the victim of such kind ofeducation. She is simplistic and innocent, which does not award her man’s respect but makes her the object of men’s hunting fortune and sexual desire. Chapter Two analyzes the awakening female subjectivity. Under the education and encouragement of mentors, the women protagonists gradually recognize that concealing their emotions, observing conventional norms and being innocent could neither help them find an ideal partner nor live happily, thus they are gradually aware of the importance of self-reliance and independence in thinking. However, in such a money dominated and male-dominated society, marriage becomes a matter of accumulating fortune instead of love. Moreover, they perceive that being in matrimony, women are just men’s chattel and could not realize economic or spiritual independence. Therefore, in negotiation with constraints and freedom, they intellectually transgress the conventional norms and choose to be unmarried to realize their own worthies.Chapter Three discusses the manifestation of female subjectivity. Under their collaboration and united force, the heroines create a new world to pursue their intellectual interests and cultivate their minds; they also establish manufactures to provide the disadvantaged people with opportunity to work and change their lower living situation; they found schools for the orphans and teach them how to be independent in economy and in thinking; in this way the women protagonists fulfill their own subjectivity.The construction of female subjectivity in Millennium Hall shows Scott’s great concerns about women’s social and legal situation and also suggests her approve of female intellect thoughts. In negotiation with social prescriptions and self-worth, the heroines even choose to be single women to realize their own values, which demonstrates that on one hand, under the social and historical context of the eighteenth century Britain, the traditional social ethics and male-oriented notion make the construction of female subjectivity face many severe limitations and challenges; on the other hand, women not only can reach intellect height and display their abilities, but also can take their efforts to make contribution to the society.