The Rise And Fall Of Women Tradition 1600-1900: Studies In Rhetorics And History

Throughout history, women have played a pivotal role in shaping societies, cultures, and economies. Their contributions have often been overshadowed or undervalued, but the study of women's tradition from the 17th to the 19th century offers insights into their experiences, challenges, and accomplishments. This article delves into the rise and fall of women tradition during this period, exploring the rhetoric used to enforce gender roles and the historical context that influenced women's status and opportunities.

The Social and Historical Context

The 17th to the 19th century was a time of significant societal changes, including industrialization and colonization. These forces shaped the roles and expectations assigned to women. Traditional gender norms dictated that women's primary role was within the home, taking care of the household, raising children, and supporting their husbands. However, various factors influenced women's status and allowed for the rise of women tradition.

The rise of women's education was a crucial factor in challenging the traditional roles assigned to them. Gradually, more women gained access to education, creating opportunities for them to engage in intellectual pursuits and contribute to the cultural and scientific progress of their societies. Prominent female writers, artists, and scientists emerged during this time, defying societal expectations and showcasing women's capabilities.

Conversational Rhetoric: The Rise and Fall of a Women's Tradition, 1600-1900 (Studies in Rhetorics and Feminisms)

by Jane Donawerth (1st Edition, Kindle Edition)

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The Women's Suffrage Movement, an important social and political movement advocating for women's right to vote, also gained momentum during this period. Suffragettes fought for gender equality and challenged the notion that women were politically incompetent. Their activism not only contributed to the rise of women tradition but also paved the way for future generations to fight for women's rights.

The Rhetoric Used to Enforce Gender Roles

The patriarchal society of the 17th to 19th century used various rhetorical strategies to reinforce traditional gender roles. These tactics aimed to discourage women from challenging the established order and maintain male dominance in all aspects of life.

Religion played a significant role in shaping the rhetoric surrounding women's roles. Biblical texts were often used to justify women's submission to men and the belief that they were inferior. Certain Bible passages were selectively interpreted to discourage women from seeking education, engaging in public life, or pursuing careers outside the home.

Another rhetorical strategy employed was the use of medical and scientific theories to reinforce gender stereotypes. The emerging field of medicine was dominated by male practitioners who portrayed women as weak, emotionally unstable, and intellectually inferior. These assertions were used to justify women's exclusion from certain professions and to limit their agency.

Furthermore, popular literature and media perpetuated harmful stereotypes about women. Novels, magazines, and newspapers often depicted women as delicate and in need of protection, reinforcing their roles as mothers and homemakers. These narratives influenced societal opinions and discouraged women from pursuing their own ambitions.

The Fall of Women Tradition

Despite the rise of women tradition during the 17th to the 19th century, significant challenges persisted, leading to a decline in women's progress and status.

The Industrial Revolution brought about new divisions of labor, with men often being favored for industrial jobs that paid higher wages. This further reinforced gender roles and limited women's economic opportunities. As factories and mills became the heart of economic progress, women were pushed back into domestic roles or employed in low-paying, menial jobs.

Moreover, the expanding British Empire created new opportunities for male explorers, military personnel, and administrators, while limiting the agency and mobility of women. The era of colonization brought about the objectification and exoticization of women from colonized regions, further marginalizing women from non-Western cultures and perpetuating stereotypes.

Increasing social conservatism towards the end of the 19th century also hindered women's progress. The Victorian era emphasized the notion of separate spheres for men and women, promoting a stricter division between the public and private domains. This hindered women's access to education, professional opportunities, and political participation.

The Importance of Studying Women Tradition

By studying women tradition from the 17th to the 19th century, scholars gain insights into the complexities of gender dynamics throughout history. It offers a nuanced understanding of how women navigated societal expectations, challenged established norms, and made significant contributions to various fields. It also highlights the barriers and resistance faced by women, shedding light on the ongoing struggle for gender equality.

Furthermore, studying women tradition provides a counter-narrative to the male-dominated historical accounts that often overlook or minimize women's achievements and experiences. It is an opportunity to reevaluate and redefine our understanding of history and acknowledge the agency and contributions of women throughout time.

In

The rise and fall of women tradition from the 17th to the 19th century is a fascinating subject that sheds light on the challenges, achievements, and contributions of women throughout history. Despite the efforts to enforce traditional gender roles, women made significant strides in education, activism, and cultural expression during this period. However, numerous obstacles limited their progress, leading to a decline in women's status and opportunities.

Studying women tradition during this time is crucial to understanding the dynamics of gender roles and the ongoing struggle for equality. By recognizing the contributions and agency of women, we can challenge entrenched biases and work towards a more inclusive and equitable future.

Conversational Rhetoric: The Rise and Fall of a Women's Tradition, 1600-1900 (Studies in Rhetorics and Feminisms)

by Jane Donawerth (1st Edition, Kindle Edition)

5 out of 5

FREE

Much of the scholarly exchange regarding the history of women in rhetoric has emphasized women’s rhetorical practices. In Conversational Rhetoric: The Rise and Fall of a Women’s Tradition, 1600–1900, Jane Donawerth traces the historical development of rhetorical theory by women for women, studying the moments when women produced theory about the arts of communication in alternative genres—humanist treatises and dialogues, defenses of women’s preaching, conduct books, and elocution handbooks. She examines the relationship between communication and gender and between theory and pedagogy and argues that women constructed a theory of rhetoric based on conversation, not public speaking, as a model for all discourse. 

Donawerth traces the development of women’s rhetorical theory through the voices of English and American women (and one much-translated French woman) over three centuries. She demonstrates how they cultivated theories of rhetoric centered on conversation that faded once women began writing composition textbooks for mixed-gender audiences in the latter part of the nineteenth century. She recovers and elucidates the importance of the theories in dialogues and defenses of women’s education by Bathsua Makin, Mary Astell, and Madeleine de Scudéry; in conduct books by Hannah More, Lydia Sigourney, and Eliza Farrar; in defenses of women’s preaching by Ellen Stewart, Lucretia Mott, Catherine Booth, and Frances Willard; and in elocution handbooks by Anna Morgan, Hallie Quinn Brown, Genevieve Stebbins, and Emily Bishop. In each genre, Donawerth explores facets of women’s rhetorical theory, such as the recognition of the gendered nature of communication in conduct books, the incorporation of the language of women’s rights in the defenses of women’s preaching, and the adaptation of sentimental culture to the cultivation of women’s bodies as tools of communication in elocution books. 

Rather than a linear history, Conversational Rhetoric follows the starts, stops, and starting over in women’s rhetorical theory. It covers a broad range of women’s rhetorical theory in the Anglo-American world and places them in their social, rhetorical, and gendered historical contexts. This study adds women’s rhetorical theory to the rhetorical tradition, advances our understanding of women’s theories and their use of rhetoric, and offers a paradigm for analyzing the differences between men’s and women’s rhetoric from 1600 to 1900.