... a blind execution of such ideals leaves women. However, rather than launching into an explicit diatribe against the repressive societal standards women of the 18th century were subject to, Manley's novel employs a more subtle approach in highlighting the contradictory foundation upon which 18th-century concepts of femininity and female sexuality were based. The text presents a society in which the stringent regulations ... substantiates the societal constructs that women of the 18th century had to suffer - the truth? Or a convincing performance of what the truth is expected to be? Throug...

• Word Count: 1986
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Graduate