Topic > Sexuality and women

After an in-depth evaluation of the three texts, we can undoubtedly attest to the fact that one of the primordial thematic contexts present in the text concerns women's sexuality in particular, given that they all address this theme in most of the sections. The attestation could be further clarified by highlighting a book like Paul and Virginia of Saint Pierre whose central theme is centered on the deepening of the sexuality of the female gender through the two main characters, Paul and Virginia. From a different perspective and considering the three identified texts, it can also be concluded that individuals of both sexes held female sexuality in high regard in ancient times, which changed slightly during the existence of the Romantic era. Therefore, this article will categorically focus on better clarifying how women's sexuality was a central issue in the three texts, so as to understand social norms. Furthermore, the article will similarly consult the three books to help delve deeper into how the Romantic era changed women's sexuality through the tendency towards natural self-expression and the dynamics of desires in achieving self-knowledge . In summary, the article will focus more on the three identified manuscripts, first summarizing each book's point of view on women's sexuality, presenting specific scenes that elaborate this notion. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Louis Couperusden's The Hidden Force provides a clear depiction of colonial-era Dutch culture. The book is a critical analysis of the future and morality of colonialism, expressing the elements of decay and political control. Furthermore, the book also highlights aspects of provocative sensuality and supernatural beliefs during the Dutch colonial era. The books feature interracial interactions based on the Van Oudijk family; their father is full of disappointment and hostility towards the children's racial otherness. However, Van Oudijk still meets and lives with a Javanese woman, thus highlighting the pre-colonial relationships between Dutch and native citizens (Couperus 54). The author highlights a colonial power that seeks to maintain its power, but its previous behavior, which includes illicit affairs, interracial relationships, sex and incestuous relationships indicates a society plagued by immorality and transgressions against social norms. The limited breadth of experience highlights women's role in relationships, as they rarely venture out, instead focusing on gossip and criticism of foreign culture (Couperus). Additionally, to highlight a community's lack of control, hidden strength highlights ideas of multiculturalism, social relationships, and gender. One character who highlights women's sexuality is Van Oudijk's second wife, Leonie. The author describes Leonie as a woman with a voracious sensual appetite, always indifferent to her environment. The author accuses the woman and her colonial behavior of introducing immoral behavior into Javanese cultural norms. This forces the woman to shoulder the burden of guilt, even though; other characters such as Van Oudijk's son Theo are also blameworthy (Couperus 106). The author uses Leonie's compliant sexuality to describe the selfish indulgence of women of the time, driven by their vanity. The author also highlights the lack of social regulation in the use of Van Oudijk's seventeen-year-old daughter, Doddy, seeing an Indian. -European man. The specificity of the author in noting the cultural differences between the twohighlights a social representation of women as manipulative and immoral. Doddy marries Addy De Luce, even after having an immoral involvement with Leonie, which depicts women as depraved and desperate. The unbridled sexuality of native women is also a highlight of the authors, especially Urip the Javanese Maid, who is also Leonie's surrogate mother. It provides guidance to Leonie about her immoral actions, as the author describes her as humble, patient, and resigned to everything in her life. Her acceptance allows her to maintain her social and cultural status, away from the immense vanity of Dutch women. European ideals of virtue and morality have no influence on the lives of native women, thus preventing them from committing unspeakable and unnatural acts. The role of Dutch women in upholding the morals of their community is also an important element of the colonial era. Eva, for example, participates in organized parties based on European values ​​such as dressing. Women were expected to uphold European cultural sophistication and moral integrity, despite their minimal role in setting the colonies' political agenda. On the other hand, men blamed European women for any losses in status, while they could live with native women and father mixed-race children. Men like Van Oudijk had children with native women, but they always vilified a Dutch woman, like Leonie, for initiating sexual encounters with native men. The author highlights how in both Dutch and Native cultures, men separated women from their economic and political universe. Gartone). On the other hand, women's private actions defined their behavior, which suggests that female gender had serious public consequences. Furthermore, this implied a lack of private space for women of the time as their husbands and children could access it whenever they wanted. This is evidenced by Leonie's relationship with her stepson. The antagonistic relationship between Van Oudijck and his Javanese regent, Sunario, is also central to the analysis. It arises from elements of jealousy and the natives' reactions to Dutch immorality (Couperus 107). The highlight of the confrontation is the meeting between the resident and Sunario's mother when he acts as a pleading son. This highlights the respected role of older women in native culture, further supported by the fact that the grandmother is the head of the De Luce family. The dominant woman is an element of the native society, which allows them to maintain ethical social relationships and self-knowledge. Furthermore, the author suggests that Addy inherited her grace and elegance from her mother, thus highlighting the role of women in their children. Bernardin de Saint Pierre's text, Paul and Virginia, could be redefined as one of the well-contextualized manuscripts that presents the very theme of female sexuality in a completely new perspective. The book particularly highlights the value of female sexuality especially in characters like Virginia during the scene on the sinking boat (Saint-Pierre 110). The attestation could be well understood by presenting a summary of the plot of the book. In summary, the plot of the book features two women from Ile de France, today's Mauritius. The author describes the two women as single after they end up separating from their husbands, resulting in one's husband dying while the other is abandoned by her lover. According to the book, the two women have a young child each, Paul and Virginia, where they decide to raise the two children together along with their faithful slaves Domingue and Marie who learn to love each other and then get married. With this attestation we can similarly identify the theme of slavery as one of the main themes present in the text. The two beautiful children, Pauland Virginia, grow to love each other where they grow up in contact with the natural world, and free from a civilization that would corrupt their morals. According to the author the world provides for all their needs where they take care of their piece of land making it beautiful and flowery (Saint-Pierre 6). As the two grow up, they begin to fall in love with each other, which somewhat shocks Virginia's mother. Although both parents had planned their marriage, Virginia's mother fears that her daughter may become pregnant at an early age and that the two will not have money to meet their needs if they take this path. Therefore, Virginia's mother is forced to send Virginia to Paris where her aunt offers to make Virginia her heir. Virginia is later put on a boat where things take a wrong turn leading to her death. Virginia is caught in a storm off the coast where she ends up drowning after refusing to remove her clothes in the presence of Paul and the sailors who attempt to save her. Virginia prefers to stay on the sinking boat instead of showing her nakedness in front of these individuals. Consumed by grief and remorse, Paul dies shortly thereafter, and the parents of both characters are left mourning the deaths of their children. Regarding the summary articulated above, one can undoubtedly attest to the fact that women's sexuality is one of the main themes. represented by the author who is precisely depicted especially in the last scenes of the book. The value of female sexuality is represented in the scene of the sinking boat, in which Virginia refuses to undress in front of the sailors claiming that this would limit or criticize her dignity as a woman (Saint-Pierre 110). According to the author, both Paul and Virginia grew up in a natural world where no civilization could corrupt their morals. Therefore, both received an education based on the valorization of sexuality, which therefore should not be devalued regardless of the situation. In this case, Virginia was more willing to die than to devalue her dignity as a woman by showing her nakedness. During this period, sexuality was seen as the most valuable aspect of both sexes that redefined the dignity of an individual. Reading Jacques-Henri de Saint-Pierre's book one can see that it focuses on the praise of virginity and modesty until death. Furthermore, Virginia's scene while on the sinking boat confirms this thesis. Similar to de Saint-Pierre's book, The Marquise of O, a novella by Heinrich von Kleist is considered one of the well-characterized manuscripts whose primary thematic context centers on female sexuality through characters such as Julieta. From a different perspective, one can attest to the fact that the book is centered or somehow suffused in different concepts including erotic passion, impulsiveness, paradox, irony, and ambiguity. However, Heinrich von Kleist uses characters like Julieta to further elaborate on the idea of ​​female sexuality and how women's dignity was devalued in those days (Kleist). In summary, the book features Julieta as the main character who the author describes as a young, unmarried widow who finds herself mysteriously and inexplicably pregnant. The scene takes place after Julieta is saved by a group of Russian soldiers who intended to kill her. Julieta, similarly described as a mother of two, decides to appeal in a newspaper ad for the father of her unborn child to reveal himself where she promises to marry the man who acknowledges paternity to her unborn child . Ironically, Julieta is horrified that it is Count F. who comes forward to acknowledge the paternity of her unborn child. Julieta is surprised.