Fantomina: Or, The Aphrodisiac of a Burlesque Character
Reposted from dragonsbreathetoo …
Blame holds little meaning in the eyes of those too vain to admit fault. The writing of pretentious puppeteers seem to reflect on the fictitious characters they claim are the embodiment of heroes (Fielding 2828). Vanity is fickle to gender roles; exemplifying women in works by men, and men in works by women. Yet just as Fantomina is pitied by her kindred souls with flowing gowns and perfectly disheveled hair, those dressed in suits and bow ties disgrace her for her deceit to their own kind [mankind], and rally for an aphrodisiac to take the blame. Alexander Pope draws mockery to the stage of approbation by pointing out the ridiculousness of “vanity”– a morbid joke for casualties of the “burlesque”. There are no blurred lines in consent, and neither Beauplaisir nor the Baron have fallen victim to a “temptress.”
“Consent dwells in the mind, and can only be inferred…
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