The Perfect Woman

“To preserve the deilicacy of mind, which nature furnishes; which constitutes the glory of your sex, and forms the principal guard of your own virtue, is the business of education.”
- Alphonzo, “An Address to the Ladies.

Oh, Alphonzo. I think you summed things up quite nicely. The common theme of education in these narratives (though in some cases it does pertain to literature and the arts) is the education of the self to be a proper and virtuous woman. All of the writings seem to offer advice that one would find in a finishing school. Not a very interesting read if you ask me. I guess my idea of a page turner is not being told how to act. But texts that offer advice on genteel manners and ladylike conduct are still popular. However, many of these handbooks on etiquette are written by women, who at least seem to be experts on the subject and therefore have some right to offer advice to others. What makes many of these texts, Alfonzo’s in particular, quite aggravating, is that they either were (or probably were) written by men. Therefore, they seem very patriarchal and condescending. They are indeed constructing their “ideal” woman, and they are providing moral censure to any female who does not adhere to that standard.

These often male authored texts seem to imply that a woman’s education need not extend far beyond that of chastity and gentility. Yes, it is a plus to be well read, but that is really secondhand to the more important characteristics of an elegant female: beauty, virginity, hospitality, sweetness of character and a rock-solid reputation. The women painted by these narratives are very much like the woman of Cosmo today- a picturesque, airbrushed portrait of what a patriarchal society deems a perfect woman to be. It can be summed up that the educated woman of the 1700s would be a largely domestic figure. Her accomplishments would be found in her manner of talking, her ability to paint delicately and her ability to sing and dance. These were accomplishments, and it was a plus to have a woman that was intelligent (not to much so!) and well read. However, these were on a lower tier of importance to the writers of these narratives. They place female virtue, delicacy, civility, and reputation above all else. The manners of “education” that writers like Alfonzo tend to address are cautions to the gentler sex. They are warnings not to fall into the hands of a seductive rake, not to be too coquettish, never incautious, and to avoid being to assertive to her husband. The woman is meant to be “educated” to be the epitome of social class, with a kind heart but a virtuous body. Books for ladies are not those despicable novels, full of nonsense, but more prudent literature, such as those that are religious or tell women to leave a chaste life.

The moral of this literature is simple. The perfect woman, in the view of the authors, is one that is always cautious of her reputation and beautiful. She must be all that is delicate and sweet, for that is the true glory of her sex. Education is not book-learning, it is watching the self and protecting the mind and body from falling into the traps of seduction and impurity. Many of the women in this time period did not fall into what these texts paint to be the ideal female. However, these texts were educational- written with the hope that a woman can learn from reading (as long as she is not wasting time with novels).