Women’s Lack of Autonomy in Love in Charlotte Temple By Laura Timaran In Charlotte Temple by Susanna Rowson, Rowson gives the reader the task of determining whether Charlotte Temple has autonomy or not. In doing so, the reader also determines whether Charlotte is culpable for all the misfortune that occurs to her, or whether it’s … Continue reading Women’s Lack of Autonomy in Love in Charlotte Temple →

Crying, fainting, kneeling on the floor and begging… Charlotte in Charlotte Temple (Susanna Rowson, 1791) is just one of the many female protagonists in 18th century novels who respond to sorrow and anguish in this manner (#dramaqueen #extra). Charlotte’s lack of composure, as she is prone to weep and mope in her predicament, begs the … Continue reading Adolescence, Anguish and Agency →

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlV7RhT6zHs “I’m not a girl… yet not a woman” is a lyric from the iconic Britney Spears song, I’m Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman, which quite frankly could be the anthem of the novel Charlotte Temple. Charlotte Temple is a fifteen year old girl—therefore she is not a girl, nor is she a … Continue reading Girlhood and Identity →

Adolescence as we know it now occurs at around the age 11 or 12 and is over by 18, the purgatory between childhood and adulthood, existing in a state of turmoil and melodrama, directly in the throes of puberty, verging on an identity crisis. Any minor inconvenience seems like the end of the world, but … Continue reading Autonomy and Identity →

Alexis Widenhouse Prof. Kirsten Paine Representing Adolescence 31 January 2019 The variety of contents and ideas in The Lowell Offering demonstrates the immense empowerment the young writers received once establishing a platform for their creative pieces of work and social commentary. Because the Lowell Offering is a first of its kind collection of ideas, the … Continue reading What is Autonomy to the Lowell Girls? →

Julia Koehl Word Count: 753 Throughout Charlotte Temple, Charlotte herself seems very lost. She never makes any of her own decisions, and always looks to the wrong men for help. Due to this, Charlotte’s identity is very ambiguous. Being a ‘pretty girl’ who ‘everyone wants to marry’ is not a personality trait, but it is … Continue reading Charlotte Temple and the Lack of Identity →

In The Lowell Offering, Bertha tells Ann about all of the novels she reads and harps on the importance of doing so for “it is our duty to improve our minds as much as possible”, she claims. Ann mocks Bertha for reading so much and staunchly asserts that she never reads novels. In regards to … Continue reading The Truth Shall Set You Free →

Guilt presents itself in many ways in Charlotte Temple. However, guilt manifests itself and is placed differently according to gender. The novel, I argue, aims to emphasize how much unreasonable guilt young women place on themselves for the peace of others. Young women are intimidated into these roles where they must blame themselves in order … Continue reading Guilt in Charlotte Temple →

The song I am referencing in this post can be found here, and it begins at the 0:30 second mark. This video that I am analyzing is a clip from musical comedian Bo Burnham’s 2013 comedy special, What. Although Bo is not an integral piece of adolescence himself, many of his songs are satires of … Continue reading Blog #3 →

Decorated with bright colors on a glossy cover, the Superman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane comic books are immediately eye-grabbing. Young readers can see a little glimpse of Superman on most editions, drawing them in even further if they hadn’t initially gravitated toward it. There is no doubt that the creators of these comic books know … Continue reading Blog #2 →