The Social Imagination of the Romantic Wife in Literature

Book excerpt: The emergence of social change in the daily lives of English society appeared most noticeably through the Romantic-era response of human emotions to a period of reason that has defined the era of Enlightenment, scientifically and philosophically. Remarkably, the dramatic political shift that occurred in 1789 from a French monarchy to a constitutional democracy foreshadowed social changes to the family unit that were more slowly evolving throughout England during the eighteenth century. An intellectual movement to educate all members of society strengthened efforts to loosen ecclesiastical control, allowing more secular definitions of social roles to emerge. The nature of marriage during this period in England is central to understanding how the marriage covenant became a widely accepted civil contract. Examining the sentiments of passion and virtue, the dynamics of traditional marriage emerge through newly established perspectives. The role of the wife as a Romantic-era concept tells the story of two women through their married lives and literary identities. The social imagination provides a new perspective on domestic concerns to illuminate a feminine aspect of the literary market through an understanding of the ordinary wife among female writers. Moreover, a specific focus on marriage, virtue, and friendship as seen through two relationships examines individuals who define both a traditional and a non-conforming approach to their domestic lives. Two husbands who were political and religious activists with wives who were atypical domestics were chosen to exemplify the effects of social change on their particular lives and marital roles in an expanding literary world.