Hannah W. FosterThe Coquette (Early American Women Writers)

Hannah Webster Foster's novel The Coquette is an excellent example of women's literature written during a period of American history in which man typically dictated societal standards of literature and behavior. The story is based on the life of Elizabeth Whitman, an educated and well-bred woman who came to an inn alone, pregnant, and seemingly unwed. She gave birth to a child and died soon after. When this scandal happened in 1788, it inspired a media firestorm that criticized the woman's fall from grace and cautioned other young ladies from meeting the same end. The novel imagines the context and background of this story through the main character Eliza Wharton. As a young single woman, she enjoys socializing and cultivating friendships. When the future preacher Mr. Boyer and the flirtatious Major Sanford both express interest in her, she refuses to immediately settle down and marry in favor of getting to know both men and enjoying a fun life. Instead of blaming the woman or focusing on the scandalous aspect of the tale as the media did, The Coquette is told in epistolary format, which allows the story to be told from many different points of view, including Eliza, Mr. Boyer, Major Sanford, and friends of all three. This approach gives the reader a more complete view of the strict expectations and standards that Eliza is held to by her friends, mother, potential suitors, and neighbors. The reader also gets a first person account of Eliza's wishes for her own happiness and how she views the gender-specific expectations of her time. Additionally, these letters show the kinds of female camaraderie that existed and the ways in which male-dominated society occasionally created obstacles in these friendships. Most women in this era of American history were not expected to become successful authors, so men typically dictated how they were portrayed. The Coquette also places the 18th century gendered stereotypes of "rake" and "coquette" in comparison with each other. While Major Sanford is deemed a "rake" by others for his habit of seducing women he does not intend to marry, he is still able to move about freely in society and marry a wealthy woman, despite the fact that his behavior is intentionally hurtful to women. However, when Eliza is deemed a "coquette," she is chastised by friends and limited in her marriage options, even though she simply wished to assess her options before choosing a man to marry. The novel examines institutionalized discrimination against women in the form of stereotypes and unfair treatment. In 18th century American society, women were expected to marry a respectable man and have children. None of the novel's female characters have a career or any real type of fulfillment outside of the domestic sphere and the family. Throughout the novel, Foster shows the ways in which this kind of expectation and forced lifestyle can be harmful to women when they are not given any alternatives. Through this kind of narrative, Foster illustrates how Eliza's sad end was not solely brought about by personal errors, but by a society that attempted to restrict women to a certain place.

In the epistolary novel, The Coquette, Foster shares a tale of a young woman, Eliza Wharton, struggling with self-acceptance and a longing to exercise her independence in an 18th century society, where choices were for women not by them. She becomes involved in a romantic triangle with two men, Mr. Boyer, who is a reverend of a church, and Major Sandford who, has a reputation in the community as being a womanizer. Mr. Boyer eventually asks for Eliza’s hand in marriage, but she does think she is ready to give up her freedom and conform to the societal norms. Eliza is not keen to the idea of marrying Mr. Boyer because her actions will always be subject to scrutiny because he is a reverend and she enjoys the freedom that she has not being bound to any man. Instead of rejecting Mr. Boyer completely Eliza asks for some time to decide what she is going to do, but she is also still entertaining the idea of being with Mr. Sanford. Although her friends Lucy and Mrs. Richman encourage Eliza to end her relationship with Mr. Sanford she does not listen. Due to her carefree attitude, Eliza is the only woman in the novel to fall for Mr. Sanford’s lies and manipulation, but maybe if she was more conservative like most women during this time period, she would have been able to see through his façade. Mr. Boyer gets very frustrated with Eliza and he leaves her for good, and marries another woman. Mr. Sanford gloats over how he “won”, furthering his reputation as a womanizer. Eliza did not listen to the advice of her friends, and instead is left desperate and alone. After the rejection of both Mr. Boyer and Mr. Sandford, Eliza’s life starts to go into a downward spiral. She willingly engages in an illicit, adulterous relationship and conceives a baby. She is very depressed and ashamed of her actions. Eliza does not want this baby because of the unsavory circumstances of his or her conception and the questionable choices she has made. Eliza eventually dies alone. Teachers should find value in this novel because it explores the roles and limitations placed upon women during this time period. In this novel Eliza represents the coquette because she knows that two men admire her and she entertains both men only for self-gratification, and not with any genuine love or affection to either man. Also in this novel Foster explores the societal norms during this time period. Marriage and child bearing two societal norms that women were expected to fulfill. The two other women in the novel, Mrs. Richman and Lucy are both married and fulfill their duties at home, and they long for Eliza to also find a husband. However, none of the children in this novel that are conceived survive, and Foster is trying to explain that no matter how hard a mother tries to protect their children, she cannot shield them from everything. Eliza did not want to be restrained by marriage, but in the end she was trapped by her own guilt and depression. We all have people of influence in our lives. It is up to the individual to choose which influences they will follow and allow to help shape their lives. Everything begins with a choice and along with choices come consequences.