Creating Ardelisas Heroic Character: the Absence of Male Influence

While most eighteenth-century travel narratives often featured a male, commercial hero as the main character, Penelo e Aubin, ho!ever, often used a female rotagonist in her travel stories" one that, given the e#treme circumstances, can circumvent the cultural, social, and religious restrictions normally laced on !omen at this time$ Aubin !as able to create the female heroine in The Adventures of the Count de Vinevil by minimi%ing and almost removing the influence of this atriarchal society in Ardelisa&s life, a cultural force that, if left to e#ist, !ould deny the ossibility of such a character" the almost com lete absence of male su eriors in this story validates and aves the !ay for Ardelisa&s transformative, heroic 'ourney$ Along !ith maintaining Ardelisas innocence in behavior and motivation, Aubin uses three s ecific events to free Ardelisa from atriarchal restrictions: the removal of (ord (ongueville, the death of Ardelisas father, and the revention of (onguevilles advice to Ardelisa$ With the absence of these atriarchal characters, Aubin develo s Ardelisa into a feminine hero, one !ho can e#hibit agency and brea) free from the stereoty es of *the !ea)er se#+ ,-olla udi .//0$ (iterature during the eighteenth century often ortrayed !omen as feeble, vulnerable, and characteri%ed by a *genteel, delicate femininity+ ,-olla udi .120$ Ardelisa does not entirely esca e this characteri%ation, as Aubin gives her some of these 3ualities through fre3uent fatigue, illnesses, and overly emotional dialogue$ 4 ecifically, Ardelisa falls *into a s!oon+ after hearing of her fathers death and is overcome !ith *tears+ u on the ne!s of her husbands se aration ,Aubin 567,5680$ Pointedly, these t!o highly feminine, redictable characteri%ations result from the loss of her male

com anions" by e# ressing her grief in culturally acce ted feminine behavior, she fulfills the e# ectations of female duty$ Ho!ever, though initially !ea) at the loss of her father and husband, Ardelisa actually sho!s courageous, even violent 3ualities after their removal" for e#am le, she leads her com anions as *orator for the rest,+ resolves to )ill 9smin if necessary to *save :her; virtue !ith his blood,+ and sets fire to a seraglio ,Aubin 5<5, 5<6, 5<10$ Aubin gives Ardelisa o ortunity to act boldly on her o!n behalf after she *isolate:s; :Ardelisa; from

any ossible assistance from :her; nominal rotectors,+ ,4nader 5260$ When Ardelisa becomes free from e# ectations to submit to masculine authority, she also becomes free from *the frailties su osedly inherent in the !ea)er se#+ ,-olla udi ./80$

Moreover, Aubin, before removing them, gives (ongueville and de =inevil !ea) characteri%ations and casts blame for Ardelisas light u on them$ 4he describes (ongueville as incom etent and *fearing discovery+ and the Count as guilty for having foolishly *e# osed+ Ardelisa to danger ,Aubin 568, 56<0$ >hese descri tions stri them of the e# ected brave, rotective masculinity and cause them to fail Ardelisa, dooming her to the dangers of the Mahometans, but they also sanction her autonomous behavior$ ?ecause Aubin causes these *male com anions :to; rove inade3uate+ and *ineffectual,+ she enables Ardelisa to rise to the occasion and *assume some of the autonomous, im rovisational, and transgressive activities of the esca ing ca tive hero+ ,4nader 5260$ Ardelisa assumes that *unfeminine courage+ recisely because she cannot find it in her male counter arts ,-olla udi .120$ Another e isode that Aubin uses to create more o ortunity for Ardelisas agency

is the conversation !here she as)s (ongueville, * $ $ $ !hat must I do@ 9r !ho shall

rotect me from the infidels insolence@+ ,Aubin 5510$ Conveniently, (ongueville is * revented+ from re lying, and Ardelisa suddenly becomes her o!n advisor, her o!n rotector ,Aubin 5510$ 9f course, Aubins heroine does not rebel in the least: she sho!s the a ro riate submission in as)ing (onguevilles instruction and advice$ >herefore then, !hen the absence of his advice sanctions and rovides for her autonomy, no one can critici%e her$ 4he is then free to do !hat she thin)s best and *indulge in actions that, though inconsistent !ith the ideals of genteel eighteenth-century femininity, are sanctioned by the e#treme situations+ ,-olla udi .//0$ 9f course, the irony of this subtle rebellion against female e# ectations is that Ardelisa receives these heroic o ortunities and behavioral 3ualities for the very ur ose

of restoring the atriarchal norm$ 4he acts not only !ith the intention of self- reservation, but !ith the goal of returning to the one remaining male rotector, (ord (ongueville$ Ardelisas lan to test (onguevilles affections before returning to him clearly re resents this irony$ While she does sho! boldness and ingenuity by devising this lan, and even deceives (ongueville for a moment, she does so artly to avoid *brea):ing; his eace+ ,Aubin 5780$ -iven this regard for his needs, her o!n assionate desires obviously come second" she uses her ne!found agency only to eventually hand it bac) to atriarchal authority$ Although not the icture of a feminist character according to modern standards, Aubin has intentionally and erfectly designed this ironic element to authori%e the heroic 'ourney of the female rotagonist: Ardelisas motive of returning to a osition of submission roves that she has acted so boldly and autonomously only out of necessityA because the men in her life have failed to do it for her$ In conclusion, Aubins creates the erfect story for the emergence of a feminine

heroic character$ Ardelisa never sho!s outright rebellious 3ualities, in fact, !hen ossible, she follo!s the rules for a ro riate feminine behavior$ It is only !hen her male rotectors fail her in courage, intelligence, counsel, and rotection that she must assume the osition of a self-reliant hero$ Bven the irony of the ultimate outcome of her bold actionsAthe restoration of a male authorityA roves that Ardelisa acts only out of necessity$ >hrough these different lot techni3ues and careful characteri%ations, Aubin succeeds at develo ing a heroine !ho sho!s autonomy and initiative !ithout transgressing the rules of female res ectability, thus subtly e# anding the bounds of o ortunity for !omen$

Wor)s Cited Aubin, Penelo e$ The Adventures of the Count de Vinevil. Popular Fiction by Women 1660 1!"0. Bds$ Paula C$ ?ac)scheider and Dohn D$ Cichetti$ Ee! For): 9#ford Gniversity Press, 588.$ 55<-525$ -olla udi, A arna$ *=irtuous =oyages in Penelo e Aubins Hiction$+ #$% #tudies in $n&lish %iterature 1'00 1(00 72$< ,6II20 : ..8-.8I$ Print$ 4nader, Doe$ Cau&ht )et*een Worlds. (e#ington: >he Gniversity Press of Jentuc)y, 6III$ Print$