Abstract
Based on Suzanne Keen’s theory of narrative empathy, this article shows a variety of narrative techniques employed by the famous eighteenth century English woman writer, Eliza Haywood, in the amatory novel of intrigue “Idalia, Or, The Unfortunate Mistress” (1723) to evoke the reader’s empathy. They include character identification, an excessive conflict paradigm, narrative voice, focalization as well as the narrator’s intrusion, known in narratology as metallepsis. The narrative analysis leads to the conclusion that from the addressee-orientated perspective the author creates an ambassadorial emphatic discourse that enables her to communicate thoughts to other members of the women’s community with a view to involving them in the experience of the main character who is vulnerable to sexual desire and betrayal. By doing so, Haywood pursues the goals of not only exercising women readers in “fellow- feeling” but acquiring knowledge about themselves through empathizing, and influencing attitudes to a woman’s limited role in society as well. Keywords: Eliza Haywood; narrative empathy; character identification; narrative situation; ambassadorial narrative strategy
Highlights
Eliza Haywood (1693-1756) is a successful playwright, translator, actress, bookseller, publisher, journalist and prominent lady novelist who embraced female authorship and argued for the right to work in a literary field mainly ruled by men, in 18th century England
The present paper studies a set of sophisticated narrative techniques used by the author to invite empathy on the part of the reader in her fictional creations, in particular, the novel Idalia, Or, The Unfortunate Mistress (1723), as well as demonstrates Haywood’s engagement with an ambassadorial strategic empathy for women as socially disadvantaged and neglected individuals subjected to gender discrimination in the eighteenth century English society
The novel Idalia is considered to be one of the best works written by Eliza Haywood, who was described by David Erskine Baker (1764) as “perhaps the most voluminous female writer this kingdom ever produced” (p. 319)
Summary
Eliza Haywood (1693-1756) is a successful playwright, translator, actress, bookseller, publisher, journalist and prominent lady novelist who embraced female authorship and argued for the right to work in a literary field mainly ruled by men, in 18th century England. Haywood’s early novel of amorous passion Love in Access; Or, The Fatal Enquiry (1719-1720) was in great demand for more than a decade, and of all works of fiction published within this period of time, only Robinson Crusoe (1719) and Gulliver’s travel (1726) enjoyed greater popularity than her pioneering novel The present paper studies a set of sophisticated narrative techniques used by the author to invite empathy on the part of the reader in her fictional creations, in particular, the novel Idalia, Or, The Unfortunate Mistress (1723), as well as demonstrates Haywood’s engagement with an ambassadorial strategic empathy for women as socially disadvantaged and neglected individuals subjected to gender discrimination in the eighteenth century English society
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