Thesis: Eliza Haywood's Fantomina, or Love in a Maze explores the damaging implications of 18th century depictions of curiosity and desire in women, as well as the absence of these implications for men. These themes are present in the descriptive language used throughout Fantomina’s corruption by a curiosity that becomes intense desire and shameful pregnancy, as well as the blameless sexual exploits of Beauplaisir.

The following are a few quote that I have begun to analyze and would use in my paper, but are in no way permanent or complete:

             “Therefore thought it not in the least a Fault to put in practice a little Whim which came immediately into her Head” In contrast to the later Fantomina who is full of curiosity and desire, she is initially depicted as an entirely innocent “Stranger to the World.” The above quote depicts her as not having any idea of the possible repercussions that follow indulging a curious whim. Her innocence is reasserted through the language of curiosity landing upon her. She has not actively sought out this state of mind, but is almost depicted to be a victim of its happenstance choice to land in her mind.

        Fantomina's plans to partake in experimenting with her curious whim "excited a curiosity in her to know in what manner these Creatures were address’d.” This quote, once again, depicts her innocence through the language in regard to the word creature. This word gives her curiosity a studious and scientific quality, suggesting that she is purely testing an innocent experiment rather than indulging in a potentially seductive fantasy. However, Fantomina’s curiosity is described as gaining the ability to give animation to an internal facet of her being. This is the beginning of a shift towards internal satisfaction of curiosity, rather than an innocent and passing whim.

        “She was naturally vain, and receiv'd no small Pleasure in hearing herself prais'd, tho' in the Person of another, and a suppos'd Prostitute.” In the quote above, Fantomina is listening to the adorations and praises of the men who wished that they could spend the night with her. This is the first example in which her curiosity has been described as giving pleasure, and this a great amount. Curiosity has become an indulgence to her conceited and proud cravings, and these are depicted as being natural to her character. Additionally, this is the first account of Fantomina’s personality being described to stray from innocence. It suggests that the girl’s curiosity has awoken the vain desire to be praised for her physical beauty.

        Fantomina shifta from receiving “no small Pleasure” to finding “a vast deal of Pleasure in conversing with him in this free and unrestrain'd Manner.” The language depicting the amount of pleasure she is receiving is becoming much more blatant and unrestrained, mirroring Fantomina’s actions. Her goals have shifted from being simply the testing of a social scientific experiment towards attaining pleasure from interacting with a man. The freedom that Fantomina is described to be experiencing has come from her curiously breaking from her role in society, and she is enjoying it immensely.

Quotes for the week:

"Occupied in observing Mr. Bingley's attentions to her sister, Elizabeth was far from suspecting that she was herself becoming an object of some interest in the eyes of his friend. Mr. Darcy had at first scarcely allowed her to be pretty; he had looked at her without admiration at the ball; and when they next met, he looked at her only to criticise. But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she hardly had a good feature in her face, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the beautiful expression of her dark eyes. To this discovery succeeded some others equally mortifying. Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry in her form, he was forced to acknowledge her figure to be light and pleasing; and in spite of his asserting that her manners were not those of the fashionable world, he was caught by their easy playfulness. Of this she was perfectly unaware; to her he was only the man who made himself agreeable nowhere, and who had not thought her handsome enough to dance with."

Pride and Prejudice Chapter 6

“It may mean that our enjoyment of fiction is predicated- at least in part- upon our awareness of our 'trying on' mental states potentially available to us but at a given moment differing from our own.”

Why We Read Fiction page 17