Recently, I’ve been spending a lot of time wondering why on earth things are the way they are. In my Feminist Theory course a few days ago, we discussed Judith Butler’s “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution.” To save you an hour’s worth of lecture material, I’ll only mention that as some point she essentially says … Continue reading Gosh Darn It, Charlotte by Kiara Alvarez →

Tiana Ring The women of the era Charlotte Temple held little to no power in society. Not in their familial relationships, marital relationships, and certainly not within society in terms of voting or owning property. The idea of wealth and power in Charlotte Temple goes hand in hand. Two ideas that Charlotte fell victim to … Continue reading Wealth & Power →

Mikaylah Rutledge On almost a daily basis, I lose my remote. To be completely honest, when this happens, I freak out a little bit. The loss of my remote means that I cannot binge watch The Walking Dead until it is found. How could I possible survive a Friday afternoon without relaxing with a nice … Continue reading Coping With Loss in The Lowell Offering →

Throughout Charlotte Temple, wealth is a repeated theme with an emphasis on individual character’s drive to achieve it at all costs. Wealth is painted as a drug in this novel. Given that Susanna Rowson originally published it in 1791, this is not too far off from the truth. The generally accepted idea that money is … Continue reading Charlotte Temple: Wealth Leading to Demise →

During the period, Charlotte Temple takes place we learn about the value of marriage in society. In the early 1900s, people only married other people who were in the same social class as them whether they truly like the person or not. In the novel, the theme of marriage is a reoccurring theme among the characters and … Continue reading Charlotte Temple: Theme of Marriage →

Charlotte Temple has never known any form of autonomy in her life. From birth, she has been under someone else’s control. Charlotte Temple is the main character of a novel written by Susanna Rowson in the late 18thcentury, titled, you guessed it, “Charlotte Temple.” She is a 15-year-old girl with doting parents, living in England, … Continue reading No Control →

Women struggling to gain power is a theme we are all very used to and it is a reoccurring theme throughout literature and life. It was only 100 years ago that women got the right to vote in America, yet in some other countries, women don't even have the right to choose their outfit. This … Continue reading Power Struggle in Charlotte Temple →

Adolescents, by nature, strive to gain more independence in their lives as they grow older. However, the idea of parents, teachers, and other authority figures still holding power and control over teens despite their desire to become more autonomous is something that many teens and young adults today express. The setting of an 1800's factory … Continue reading The Search for Autonomy →

Written by Nina Brown Charlotte Temple by Susanna Rowson is a novel that contains arguments on a myriad of themes, some of which ring true today, and some of which we now consider to be outdated. Two themes discussed in the novel that are still considered to be universal to the adolescent experience are grief … Continue reading Grieving a Lost Identity →

-Alyssa Kline Adolescence is generally thought of as a time for children to find their identity and grow as people. However, in 1845 this was not the case. The Lowell Offering, specifically, depicts the intense labor that young women went through in order to make money to send back to their families. The women writing … Continue reading Loss of Girlhood in The Lowell Offering →