Manchester University Press
4 Elfrida; or Paternal Ambition (1786)
Abstract
Representing British colonialism without Zoriada’s or Hartly House’s perspective of the colonized, Elfrida traces patriarchy across three generations, marking the shift from provincialism to nation building and colonialism. From childhood to adulthood, Elfrida is circumscribed by the patriarchal authority of her father, Overbury, whose “paternal ambition” creates misery with repercussions for generations; Ellison, her husband; and, less overtly, her lover, Wilmot, whom Elfrida marries when it is believed that Ellison was killed in America. While Ellison’s aristocratic birth makes his patriarchal presumption overt, Wilmot’s humbler origin masks his seduction by colonial power. The male characters vie for control of the narrative while Elfrida attempts to wrest control over her own subjectivity, determined to make her parents see “the insufficiency of wealth.” Ellison and Wilmot crisscross the East and West Indies and America, engaging in war and colonialism for self-promotion, while Elfrida embraces poverty that requires her to use her talents. When news arrives that Ellison is alive, all that had appeared legitimate is now “illegal” and immoral from the view of institutional patriarchy to which Elfrida acquiesces, seeing herself as an adulterer and leaving Wilmot behind with their children. Frustrated that he cannot save the prodigal Elfrida, Wilmot’s response, devoid of sympathy, is that her mind is “cruelly disordered.” Gibbes sets Elfrida’s wandering against the men’s foreign adventures. While Gibbes ultimately fulfills the marriage plot, she accords a new power to the novel’s matriarchal line.
Abstract
Representing British colonialism without Zoriada’s or Hartly House’s perspective of the colonized, Elfrida traces patriarchy across three generations, marking the shift from provincialism to nation building and colonialism. From childhood to adulthood, Elfrida is circumscribed by the patriarchal authority of her father, Overbury, whose “paternal ambition” creates misery with repercussions for generations; Ellison, her husband; and, less overtly, her lover, Wilmot, whom Elfrida marries when it is believed that Ellison was killed in America. While Ellison’s aristocratic birth makes his patriarchal presumption overt, Wilmot’s humbler origin masks his seduction by colonial power. The male characters vie for control of the narrative while Elfrida attempts to wrest control over her own subjectivity, determined to make her parents see “the insufficiency of wealth.” Ellison and Wilmot crisscross the East and West Indies and America, engaging in war and colonialism for self-promotion, while Elfrida embraces poverty that requires her to use her talents. When news arrives that Ellison is alive, all that had appeared legitimate is now “illegal” and immoral from the view of institutional patriarchy to which Elfrida acquiesces, seeing herself as an adulterer and leaving Wilmot behind with their children. Frustrated that he cannot save the prodigal Elfrida, Wilmot’s response, devoid of sympathy, is that her mind is “cruelly disordered.” Gibbes sets Elfrida’s wandering against the men’s foreign adventures. While Gibbes ultimately fulfills the marriage plot, she accords a new power to the novel’s matriarchal line.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- Acknowledgements viii
- Abbreviations ix
- Introduction 1
- 1 The Life and Adventures of Mr. Francis Clive (1764) 21
- 2 The American Fugitive: or, Friendship in a Nunnery (1778, 1784) 72
- 3 Transnationalism in the Anglo-Indian novels: Zoriada, or, Village Annals (1786) and Hartly House, Calcutta 115
- 4 Elfrida; or Paternal Ambition (1786) 154
- Conclusion 208
- Bibliography 224
- Index 234
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- Acknowledgements viii
- Abbreviations ix
- Introduction 1
- 1 The Life and Adventures of Mr. Francis Clive (1764) 21
- 2 The American Fugitive: or, Friendship in a Nunnery (1778, 1784) 72
- 3 Transnationalism in the Anglo-Indian novels: Zoriada, or, Village Annals (1786) and Hartly House, Calcutta 115
- 4 Elfrida; or Paternal Ambition (1786) 154
- Conclusion 208
- Bibliography 224
- Index 234
