Arabella!! Please get over yourself, and out of those books part 2

As stated in my last blog Arabella's mind has been twisted by being held in such seclusion by her father's doing. All she had to do was read and study romance books, and that she did, to the point that her perception of reality is distorted. I already stated that she pulled a major embarrassing stunt on poor Mr. Hervey, now her next crazy and arrogant assault would be carried out on the marquis' gardener.

" When she walked in the garden, had frequent opportunities of seeing this young man, whom she observed with a very particular attention. His person and his air had something, she thought, very distinguishing. When she condescended to speak to him"-22

So when she roamed the garden, the garden im sure he labored over to make beautiful, she would watch him "with a very particular attention". So she was paying him close attention, more than he paid her. Somehow she took this situation and twisted it into a crazy scenario of obsessive love for her.

"She remained perfectly convinced that he was some person of quality, who disguised in the habit of a gardener, had introduced himself into her father's service, in order to have an opportunity of declaring a passion to her which must must certainly be very great, since it had forced him to assume an appearance so unworthy of his noble extraction"-22

So she thinks that he only took this job because he was so in love with her! How full of herself is she?

"She often wondered, indeed that she did not find her name carved on trees, with some mysterious expressions of love"-23

Arabella is so far gone into her books that she thinks he will resort to such childish antics to express himself. Arabella's head is so far up her own tail that she thinks the garedener should fall ill because he can't express his love for her openly. She has her mind made up that she must reject his offer of love, the offer of love that he hasn't even offered her. Before the gardener even held a real conversation with Arabella she has decided that she will "banish him from her presence."-23 because he may think that in time he will be able to have her. I just found this so comical. I don't know if Lennox is poking fun at the over acting found in romance novels, or she is just using these encounters to show that Arabella is self centered. I'm sure by the time I finish the book I'll know.

Arabella!! Please get over yourself, and out of those books part 1

In my last post we saw how Arabella broke down the physical description of Mr. Hervey. She was intrigued by him and assumed he was of some significant status because of his attire. When Mr. Hervey just so happens to ride across Arabella one day she has it in her fairy tale mind that he is so infatuated with her beauty that he is going to take her. As a matter of fact he didn't even know that it was her, he just saw the figure of a woman who looked fair.

"Mr. Hervey, who happened to be at some distance, observing a lady on horseback, who made a very graceful figure, he rode up to her in order to have a nearer view."-19

All the dude wanted to do was see who this hot chick was from afar. Doing what men do, he scoped her out and got a little closer to see the goods. It just so happened to be Arabella. Lennox even goes on to say

"Arabella suddenly seeing him, and observing he was making up to her, her imagination immediately suggested to her that this insolent lover had a design to seize her person"-19

She screamed and caused a humiliating scene for Mr. Hervey. I thought this was genius as far as plot distortion because I just knew that they were going to have some type of romantic encounter, but she monkey wrenched that from the getup. She is so full of herself to think that she is so beautiful that he became so madly in love with her that he had to kidnap her. She called hin a ravisher. She is so indulged in her make belive books that her perception of reality is distorted to the highest degree. After reading that part I felt sorry for poor Mr. Hervey because his reputation had to suffer from such a stupid incident

Am I seeing materialistic/arrogant similarities in Arabella, Pamela, and Syrena???

In the opening of The Female Quixote we are told that Arabella has just turned seventeen and hasn't had many opportunities for men to approach her. Not even two paragraphs in, the story's focus jumps to a description of a man Arabella notices watching her.

" This gentleman was young, gay handsome, and very elegantly dressed; She blushed with a very becoming modesty; and, pleased with the unusual appearance of so fine a gentleman;"-Page 8

The way she examines Mr. Hervey from the intro may be a clue to her character. Early in reading I think I am seeing some resemblances of Pamela and Syrena's materialistic qualities and superficial characteristics in Arabella. The way she described Mr. Hervey could've just been an honest observation of him but what pushed it over the edge to me was that right after his description is given, Lennox jumps to Arabella's outfit description.

"Her dress, tho singular, was far from unbecoming. All the beauties of her neck and shape were set off to the greatest advantage by the Fashion of her gown, which in the manner of a robe, was made to fit tight to her body; and fastened on the breast with a knot of diamonds" -9

Now clearly we see that she definitely has some materialistic ways. Even though she is of a higher status her arrogance is what stands out when Lennox states she wore a "Sarsenet hood, somewhat in the form of a veil, with which she sometimes wholly covered her face, WHEN SHE SAW HER SELF BEHELD TOO MUCH ATTENTION"-9

If she's at church the focus should be on the word and the preacher or minister or whoever is delivering the word. What type of person would draw so much attention to themselves in such a place. She's wearing a tight fitting gown as we read on page eight, and was fastened at the breast which probably revealed some cleavage. It seems to me that she wants, likes, and bathes in the attention that she is getting at church.