Okay, so I read The Rape of the Lock. It's obviously a comment on assault - hence the name, the thinly veiled allusions, and the metaphor of it all. And through the whole thing, I kept hearing those comments I hear from so many men. "If she didn't want it, she wouldn't have dressed like that." We all read the poem. Lines 122-149 of Canto 1 detail Belinda getting ready to set off for this party . That is 28 lines of primping and pampering. An objectifying voice would ask, "Who is she prettying herself up for?" Any independent woman would then reply "Herself!" That is not the view of many, however.
Look for a moment at Canto 2. Lines 6-15 say:
"But ev'ry eye was fix'd on her alone.
On her white breast a sparkling Cross she wore,
Which Jews might kiss, and Infidels adore.
Her lively looks a sprightly mind disclose,
Quick as her eyes, and as unfix'd as those:
Favours to none, to all she smiles extends;
Oft she rejects, but never once offends.
Bright as the sun, her eyes the gazers strike,
And, like the sun, they shine on all alike."
Look for a moment at Canto 2. Lines 6-15 say:
"But ev'ry eye was fix'd on her alone.
On her white breast a sparkling Cross she wore,
Which Jews might kiss, and Infidels adore.
Her lively looks a sprightly mind disclose,
Quick as her eyes, and as unfix'd as those:
Favours to none, to all she smiles extends;
Oft she rejects, but never once offends.
Bright as the sun, her eyes the gazers strike,
And, like the sun, they shine on all alike."
These lines portray sweet Belinda as the center of attention, and enjoying it. To one looking for faults, it seems that she flirts with everyone without remorse. To one looking for independence, it seems that Belinda was simply being kind, and even prudent.
There are two viewpoints here, as far as I can tell. The one who sees Belinda as the victim, someone whose honor has been scorned and blasphemed... and the one who sees her as wanting it. I think Pope left some ambiguity there, for the reader to decide. Was Belinda the victim? I think so. I think society has long told women that they must smile, dress pretty, and submit themselves to the molesting eyes of whoever decides to look. I shudder to think of the person who believes Belinda to be the master of her own destruction in this.
For the assumption of "wanting it".
PS I commented on Kayla and Gray's posts.
PS I commented on Kayla and Gray's posts.
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