In continuing on in Desmond in volumes II and III, I agree with Madison in that I was pleasantly surprised to see the novel take a more personal turn as it began to include other characters stories’ rather than solely long letters of Desmond describing conversations of the political strife in France or his love for Geraldine. In reading the first letter written by Geraldine, I initially felt hope for her and Desmond as it seemed she was not only unhappy in her current marital situation, but also complimentary of Desmond and seemingly jealous of Madame de Boisbelle. As the novel progressed as Jane noted, I felt this hope fade as Geraldine showed to be steadfast in her beliefs to remain a dutiful wife upholding all societal standards placed upon her despite her unhappiness. In reflection upon the first volume compared to the second and third, I better assimilated the shift in tone from a more political piece to a narrative as Geraldine’s passivity in her adverse marriage could be paralleled to the forced passivity described by Desmond in his letters of the French peasants before the revolution. I think Smith made efforts to make a radical political statement especially in volume one, and paralleled with Geraldine’s oppressed societal “wife” role, also made a statement of the injustice of relations between men and women. I found it interesting that while the oppression of the French public was overthrown in the revolution in a very active form, the oppression of Geraldine by her husband and her societal duty to him ceased in a very passive manner through his death.
No comments:
Post a Comment