Tabitha Tenney’s Female Quixotism presents clear rhetoric on the surface of the text. The heading of the first chapter in the 1992 edition is an admonishment taken from the 1801 frontispiece: an admonishment that summarizes the rhetorical purpose of the entire text. It reads thus,
FELIX QUEM FACIUNT ALIENA PERICULA CAUTUM.
In plain English –
LEARN TO BE WISE BY OTHERS HARM,
AND YOU SHALL DO FULL WELL (Tenney 4).
The rhetoric in Female Quixotism exists to warn its audience from becoming like its main character. Dorcas Sheldon (who in the first chapter decides she must change her name to Dorcasina to be in accord with the romantic tales she has read) has become the victim of believing that she can live the life of a female character in a romantic novel. Much like “the ingenious hidalgo” of Cervantes, Dorcas suffers from seeking to define herself in a way that proves tragic to her true self (or at least what society largely assumes her true self should be).
The frontispiece of the 1801 edition is rather plain. At first glance this fact may seem insignificant, but knowing that the novel’s stated purpose is anti-romantic, the simple (i.e. lacking any eye catching frilly detail) frontispiece speaks as clearly as the opening letter and the rest of the novel. Female Quixotism opens with a letter that suggests to the audience that the author is an objective reporter or “Compiler” (Tenney 3). This letter is reprinted from the 1801 edition in the 1992 edition. The letter sets up the novel as a historical document in which the reporter tells of the “particulars of the life of Miss Dorcas Sheldon. These appeared so whimsical and outré that I had a strong inclination to acquire knowledge of her whole story… for the advantage of the younger part of her sex” (Tenney 3). Two crucial things to note from this anonymous author, “the COMPILER,” are the facts that s/he does not reveal her/his gender but does state clearly that the novel (or rather, the would-be historical text) will serve as a helpful guide to any young women who may be tempted to follow in some of the steps of Dorcas. It is then obvious as well that the intended audience is in fact exclusively young women: young women who have an apparent inclination toward romanticizing life. Another issue that is presented quickly in the novel is the idea that a young woman must have the proper upbringing to avoid romantic error. Dorcas Sheldon’s mother died when Dorcas was just a young girl, and her father has since been “indulg[ing] his daughter in the full latitude of her inclination” (Tenney 6). This novel, therefore, also declares itself a warning to parents.
One aspect of this novel that will be very interesting to explore in order to gain better insight into its rhetoric is whether or not Tabitha Tenney’s voice is apparent in the novel and if so, does it communicate the same ideas as the Compiler. It is vital to note that this novel presents itself in such a way that the actual author’s voice may remain elusive while the implied author narrates the whole tale as an authoritative yet ambiguous voice. As I continue to read through this text I will conduct research into the life of Tabitha Tenney and seek to discover what her thoughts about romanticism were and how she may have agreed whole heartedly with the Compiler or may have subtly proposed views that would be found more culturally unruly. In early America there were many writers who openly decried romanticism and the negative effects that would come from such literature. It appears that Tenney is writing with such a rhetorical purpose.
Female Quixotism’s rhetoric is clear: romanticism is not healthy for our young women. But does Tenney reveal at times in this novel a female voice that rebels against a society that tells her and the young women of society what they can and cannot read or who they can and cannot be? If Tenney is in line at all times with anti-romanticism sentiment, then another good question consider is, why does any woman want to escape to the realm of the romantic novel? That is to ask, why is Dorcas so unhappy with her actual state of affairs? These questions will be considered throughout this project.
Works Cited
Tenney, Tabitha. Female Quixotism: Exhibited in the Romantic Opinions and Extravagant
Adventures of Dorcasina Sheldon. New York: Oxford UP, 1992.
