The concept of female friendship has confounded researchers, philosophers, scientists, and novelists for a long time. Friendships between women often confuse, and even intimidate, cultures built on power hierarchies centered on men's logical prowess. This cautious uncertainty extends to the writings of Jane Austen, whose often female protagonists also struggle with the looming confusion of female friendships. In novels like Emma and Wuthering Heights, Austen's young heroines often end up trading female relationships for the ultimate friendship of the Gregorian period: marriage. To understand the early English literary trend of women abandoning friendly connections in the name of nuptial bliss, one can look to philosophical interpretations of reason and sensitivity in friendship, as well as the cultural implications of gender in both tracts. Thus, one can examine one of the exceptions to Austen's model in her novel Lady Susan, published posthumously. The novel introduces a strange predicament in the friendship between Lady Susan Vernon and Alicia Johnson, which this article will identify as a literary device conceivable only through the masculinized behavior of both women. Through these evaluations, it becomes clear that Lady Susan is one of Austen's few novels in which she allows gender in friendships to function in an egalitarian manner. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay For Gregorian England, ideas of meaning and sensibility were understood in highly gendered ways. Sense, referring to the ability to think logically, clearly, and objectively, was primarily a masculine quality. Sensitivity, referring to the use of emotions, feelings and intuition, was understood as inherently feminine. This cultural perception comes as no real surprise to avid Austen readers, considering the interaction many of Austen's female characters have with their male counterparts. For example, in Austen's Emma, ​​Emma's extravagant and impulsive behavior is explained by her hyperfeminized identity as a "supreme princess", while Mr. Knightly's composed line of thought is clearly indicative of his masculine identity and his position as oldest and wisest man in the world. Emma's life. This situation is repeated in Austen's novels, as with Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, or even to some extent Catherine Morland and Henry Tilney in Northanger Abbey. Reason is characterized by Austen as a male activity, while emotion belongs to the realm of women. This dichotomy makes relationships involving both sexes common sense, joining both the head and the heart together in an androgynous social unit that balances the halves perfectly. Relationships within Austen's novels operate under this belief that relationships work best when weaving concepts of sense and sensibility together, translating culturally, quite literally, to mean that women and men are the only parties of a functional friendship in Gregorian England. has been a topic of philosophical discussion for eons, earning the badge of being "one of life's most indispensable requisites" from Aristotle within the Nicomachean Ethics, 20 centuries before the complicated web of the Bennet sisterhood was even a twinkle in the eye by Austen. However, the specific topic of female friendship is historically excluded from this philosophical debate. Rather, women and their partners are examined "as an example of unequal friendships: the friendship between husband and wife is on par with that between father and son, older manand younger man, ruler and ruled. The possibility of friendship between two women and their potential equality is never envisaged” (Jefferson 139). There's an expectation that female friendships are fundamentally flawed, emotion-filled, and meaningless in a way that doesn't lead to any mutual growth or enjoyment. Because sense and sensitivity are presented as completely opposite but desperately needing each other to create harmony, it follows that women and men are equally opposite but at the same time the only way to create a friendship truly balanced. The dichotomy of sense and sensibility regarding gender is recognized by multiple feminist scholars, including Mary Wollstonecraft, who addresses its social significance in A Vindication of the Rights of Women, published in 1792. Wollstonecraft states that philosophers “have labored to demonstrate, with chivalric generosity, that the sexes should not be compared; man was made to reason, woman to feel: and that together, flesh and spirit, form the most perfect whole, happily fusing reason and sensibility into one character” (Todd 30). It follows, then, that a relationship between two women would be devoid of reason and too full of feelings to work well. Imaginary friendships between women would be found meaningless and too full of sensitivity. Often, Austen presents female friendships in her novels in the formative period of her young heroine's life, and the friendship ultimately dissolves to pave the way for a stronger and editorially deeper marital relationship. This is easily observed in the friendship of Catherine Morland and Isabella Thorpe of Northanger Abbey. Even when Isabella is replaced by the league's more rational Eleanor Tilney, the friendship Catherine enjoys with her during their few independent days at Northanger Abbey is dominated by the narrative arc of her marriage to Henry. The enjoyment of their friendship does not seem to be enough for Catherine and Eleanor's development as characters, and although their marriages do not completely destroy their relationship, there is a distinct darkening of their friendship by heterosexual romantic relationships. There seems to be a silent implication on Austen's part that young women's friendships exist only as distractions, incapable of the same kind of positive impact that a straight friendship is capable of. This message comes directly from the cultural standards that dictate what men and women bring to social relationships. Although many of Austen's novels follow this model, Lady Susan creates a new and unusual path for female friendships in Austen's writing. To fully analyze the cultural implications of the rebellious friendship between Lady Susan Vernon and Mrs. Johnson, one must first analyze how strongly Austen emphasized their close relationship. Then, one can begin to connect their friendship to the way both characters are presented as rogues to gender norms, which allows their friendship to flourish. The epistolary format of Lady Susan allows the reader to see tangible evidence of the close relationship between Lady Susan and Mrs. Johnson. . One of Austen's most endearing qualities of being able to exemplify enduring human nature shines in her presentation of Lady Susan and Mrs. Johnson as gossipy best friends, a trope recognized decades later. By sharing every morsel of the provocative drama that is Lady Susan's lifestyle with each other, the relationship between the two women is allowed to shine fully through their personal letters. An example of this is Lady Susan's request to Mrs Johnson to detain Sir Reginald at his house in Edward Street and persuade him to give up hisvisit to Bath, which Lady Susan frames in dark terms, speaking of "properness and so on" (Austen 239). This vague phrase infers an unspoken recognition for both women, left unexplained to the reader. Such complexities of the women's correspondence indicate not only a similarity of mindset, but also prior communications about similar things and a comfort in inferring conversations below the surface level of the letter. It's also worth noting that it appears that Mrs. Johnson is aware of the true parameters of the relationship between Lady Susan and Mr. Manwaring, based on how quickly Lady Susan mentions him in letters without much explanation. Even the formatting of their letters suggests their close friendship. In contrast, in addition to Lady Susan's rather long-winded letters to other characters, such as Sir Reginald, her letters to Mrs. Johnson are rather short and direct. Lady Susan uses full, flowing sentences in her speeches to other people, almost in a subtle attempt to influence the reception of her news. With Mrs. Johnson, however, Lady Susan is much more nervous in her punctuation and word choice. This difference is almost reminiscent of the modern differences between a message sent to a parent and a message sent to a best friend. Points are made more quickly, there is far less exposition and filler statements, and Lady Susan seems much more conversational than manipulative. It seems that Austen is trying to make a statement about the two women's comfort with each other, a quality not typically seen in the heroine Austen's friendships. The tendency of modern readers to identify the friendship between Mrs. Johnson and Lady Susan as suspicious, or fabricated by Austen only to highlight Lady Susan's manipulative abilities, is symptomatic of a cultural distrust of female friendships. As noted by Ann Jefferson in Female Friendship as a Literary Fact, “Friendship between women more generally tends to be regarded with suspicion, and that suspicion usually centers on sex. Either the women are supposed to be plotting together to arrange illicit sexual relations with a man, or…the women might actually be having sex with each other” (140). Because patriarchal culture has popularized the conception of friendships as strategic and often "pleasantly useful," the genuine friendship between Lady Susan and Mrs. Johnson seems dubious to readers (Thomason 228). Despite their constant communication, deep understanding of each other's motivations, and their mutual kindness working against their personalities, there is an inherent desire to distrust their friendship. In part, this is a side effect of Austen's literary models. There is no other Austen novel in which two women work so synchronized to satisfy each other's desires while prioritizing themselves. Even Elizabeth Bennet manages to avoid directly returning Mr. Bingley to his sister's arms after their separation, despite the girl's mutual desire for the other's nuptial happiness in Pride and Prejudice. Austen did not condition her readers to expect two women to coordinate with each other. Above all, Austen prevented women from allying themselves in ways not centered on the innocent hope of snaring a young man for guiltless flirtation. Supported by this unpretentious literary model, the more conspiratorial behavior of Lady Susan and Mrs. Johnson arouses suspicion. The fact that suspicion of female friendships often centers around sex reinforces the fact that fear of such relationships is grounded in gender expectations. Because such a relationship challenges gender norms, female friendships raise fears that women will devise a plan to deceive men and.