GROUP_5

//Group 5 //

//Fantomina; or, Love in a Maze //  //by Eliza Haywood //

**//Introduction to Fantomina//**

 In short, "Fantomina" tells the tale of an unnamed female protagonist's multiple seductions of the same man under the guise of four different characters she plays which leads to her eventual impregnation and exile to a monastery. After a night at a playhouse, the unnamed protagonist, on her way home, sees that the prostitutes are receiving a great deal of attention from gentlemen that she is interested in. She disguises herself in the accouterments of a prostitute and lures Beauplasir to her services. However, the situation soon gets out of her control and he rapes her. After she refuses to take money from him, Beauplasir leaves her. She then decides to seduce him in a number of ways: First as Fantomina the prostitute, then as Celia the maid, then as Mrs. Bloomer the widow, then finally as Incognita the mysterious mistress, the protagonist seduces the same man Beauplasir a total of four times before she becomes pregnant. By changing her identity so many times, she claims to keep Beauplasir all to herself by extorting his adulterous nature.
 * Works Cited: **

Haywood, Eliza. “Fantomina; or Love in a Maze.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th ed. Vol c. Ed. Lawrence Lipking and James Noggle. New York: W W Norton and Company, 2006. 2565-2584.


 * //Author's Identity By: Becky Hoy // **

 Very little of Eliza Haywood's, maiden name Eliza Fowler, early life is known. Her birthdate is estimated around 1693 and she died in 1756 (Haywood). It is known that she began working in the public sphere as an actress in Dublin in 1714 (Haywood, 2565). She also began her career by writing plays for the stage, the proceeds from which she used to support her two children after she separated from her husband (Haywood). However, she found writing and performing for the stage to be a far too limiting experience, so she decided to turn her talents towards being a professional writer. Eliza Haywood was one of the first writers to begin using the novel format and published over 60 novels during her career and even her own periodical titled //The Female Spectator // . (Johnson). Her first novel, <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90.9%;">//<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Love in Excess // <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 90.9%;">, was printed in 1719, to widespread acclaim and popularity (Johnson). Many of her novels dealt with subjects such as female sexuality and desires, as well as the problems women encountered balancing relationships and propriety. Not everyone applauded her works, however. Male critics and, famously, the Pope in his <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90.9%;">//<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Dunciad // <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 90.9%;">, denounced her works as a “species of literary prostitution” (Johnson). Haywood, however, appears, in her novels, to give the sense that she wishes her female readers to learn from the heroine’s mistakes, rather than simply advocating for gullibility and sexual folly <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">

In “Adventures in Pornographic Places: Eliza Haywood’s //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The Tea-Table //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> and the Decentering of Moral Argument,” author Alexander Pettit, professor of English at the University of North Texas, suggests that Eliza Haywood presents a dichotomy of moral argument within her works such as //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The Tea-Table //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> parts one and two. Pettit argues that a legal and moral atmosphere in 18th century social politics heavily influenced Haywood to write a type of erotic fiction which reiterated the immorality of transgressions through punishment of (particularly) female characters. However, with her later works, Haywood appears to suggest that morality is not as precise as it was before. Pettit uses Haywood’s //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The Tea-Table //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> to illustrate these ideas; the main moral force behind //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The Tea-Table //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">, Amiata, attempts unsuccessfully to deter the immorality of London from pervading both the attitudes of her social circle and her literal room. It is this inability to quash the erotic tension that pervades the group’s meeting, as well as the intrusion of the “invaders” (or the representation of the immoral majority of London outside of Amiata’s social circle and literal room) that, Pettit argues, is Haywood’s mode of establishing a sense of moral flexibility. In essence, Haywood is taking power away from moral authority, represented by Amiata, which then puts into jeopardy the judgments made by that authority. In this sense, Pettit asserts, Haywood presents a dichotomy juxtaposed to her earlier works in which morality was not questioned.

During her long and storied career, Haywood also produced many poems, plays, political satires, essays, criticisms, and even female conduct books (Haywood, 2566). After her death in 1756, her popularity saw a decline, until the 1960s when feminists and scholars alike began reprinting and analyzing her works (Johnson). Nearly 200 years after her death, her works finally came back into popularity and to literary acclaim. Works credited to her include: //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Love in Excess; or The Fatal Enquiry //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">, //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Idalia; or The Unfortunate Mistress //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">, //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Fantomina; or Love in a Maze //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">, //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The Adventures of Eovaii: A Pre-Adamitical History //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">, //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The Anti-Pamela; or Feign'd Innocence Detected //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">, //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The Fortunate Foundlings, //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> and //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The History of Betsy Thoughtless //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">, to name just a few.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Works Cited: **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 90%;">"Haywood, Eliza (Fowler)." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. 6th ed. 1 Oct. 2009. Academic Search Premier. 19 Apr. 2010. <[].

Haywood, Eliza. “Fantomina; or Love in a Maze.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th ed. Vol c. Ed. Lawrence Lipking and James Noggle. New York: W W Norton and Company, 2006. 2565-2584. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Johnson, Sarah. “Haywood, Eliza Fowler, 1693?-1756.” Literature Online Biography. 2006. Proquest Information and Learning Company. 19 Apr. 2010 []. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">In Fantomina, she conveys four roles:
 * <span style="background-color: #d6ca85; color: #003399; display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">//Professions and occupation in the 18th Century. By: Justin Tam// **[[image:File1787-prostitutes-caricature.jpg caption="1787 caricature of prostitutes, giving an idea of their clothing and attire. Edited from image http://memory.loc.gov/master/pnp/cph/3c30000/3c32000/3c32900/3c32976u.tif on the Library of Congress website."]]
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Prostitute (gain experience through sex)
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Chamber Maid (higher class civilian)
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Widow (grieving)
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Fair Incognita (disguise- unknown) [[image:61017-large.jpg width="119" height="162" caption="Masquerade Mask Source: http://masquerade-party-ball-masks.magnify.net/?from=guide"]]

The peer reviewed article I read was "Prostitutes of 'Political Institution” by Pamela Cheek, who describes the general sense of how prostitution in France was shifting away further from feminism. Where sexual depictions conveyed women as slaves who could serve up to three years in prison if they did not have employment in a brothel or an important client. For writers during the eighteenth century, focused on mainly sex and politics, which are both intertwined because sex played such a major role in literary text. Cheek states how prostitutes gave rise to new features of writing and began to develop articles of their sexual encounters and exploits. The main concept in the article is that prostitutes, like Fantomina, seek out a potential wealthy male, for example in Fantomina, such as Beauplaisir, who try and manipulate him to gain social status. Prostitutes became educated in order to achieve higher pay where male clients prefer to satisfy both the mind and body. Many of the sexual writings were read by both men and women. In the text many of the prostitutes are very young, like Fantomina, who is curious about their own sexuality and this shunned profession.

This article is significant since France had many prostitutes and became aware of them through these sexually written articles. Fantomina is a similar story where she tricks Beauplaisir into having sex with her while she disguises herself as different occupations, however her trickery catches up to her by her getting pregnant.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Works Cited: **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Cheek, Pamela. "Prostitutes of 'Political Institution'." //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Eighteenth-Century Studies //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 28.2 (1994): 193-219. //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">MLA International Bibliography //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">. EBSCO. Web. 16 Apr. 2010.

//<span style="color: #003399; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Womanhood and Maternity in the Eighteenth Century. By: Kyle //



<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Womanhood and female identity is a large focus of "Fantomina". I will give a broad overview of the role of women in both Fantomina, and in Britain at the time when the story was published. I will focus on three main topics: maternity, women in literature, and women in "Fantomina".

During the time when Fantomina was written, one of the means of employment available to women was that of a midwife. However, the rise of the scientific method--and by extension an increase in respect for doctors-- led to the decline in respect for midwifery. Male doctors gained prestige over the traditional midwife with the introduction of forceps usage in birthing. Many wealthy families deferred to male doctors rather than female midwifes. This profession that was previously reserved for only women was now being taken over by men.

Beginning in the Eighteenth century, woman began to actively take part in literature. Whereas before only men defined the role and function of women, women now took an active role in shaping their own identity in writing. Satirical writers, such as Jonathan Swift, sought to show women--not as infallible moral creatures--but as humans prone to error and folly. Writer's, such as Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, countered the satires of women with counter satires of their own, as in Montagu's rebuttal to Swift's "The Lady's Dressing Room." Women began to voice their opinion on their characterization in literature. Women, especially the protagonist in "Fantomina", where being depicted--for the first time--as autonomous beings that could disregard culture at their discretion.

__Womanhood, maternity, and identity in the eighteenth century as analyzed in "Reworking Male Models: Aphra Behn’s Fair Vow-Breaker, Eliza Haywood’s Fantomina, and Charlotte Lennox’s Female Quixote." (Scholarly Essay):__

I read and annotated "Reworking Male Models: Aphra Behn's Fair Vow-Breaker, Eliza Haywood's Fantomina, and Charlotte Lennox's Female Quixote." "Reworking Male Models" was written by Catherine A. Craft. Craft begins by noting that while men during the Eighteenth century were able to write however they pleased about women, women were not able to return the favor. She recalls then that men were actually frightened of the idea that women would voice their own opinions. Of course at the time, women were forbidden from writing freely, they were only allowed to focus on predetermined feminine topics such as romance, maternity, and marriage. While the female writers detailed in Craft's text follow these stringent guidelines, they use use subtle tactics to voice their opinions.

Men, at the time, would use literary criticism as their main form of censorship. If a woman's work did not extoll virtuous living and convey proper respect for conventional morals, she was lambasted by critics as unfeminine and uncouth. Thus, the female writers of the time could not explicitly voice their subversive opinions.

Specifically in Fantomina, Eliza Haywood examined feminine values of the eighteenth century. More accurately, she exhibits what men thought feminine values should be. One of the main concepts that was held at the time was that "once fallen, forever fallen." This idea of perpetual self propagating sin was developed in Fantomina. However, while most literary women take their sin as a basis for self-loathing and shame, Fantomina takes her sin with pride. Because of this, Fantomina achieves a psychological freedom from the moral dogma of the time. And while Fantomina's story ends without marriage, this should not be taken as a tragic ending. For Fantomina, this translates to freedom from the rules and structures of men.

In short, Fantomina rejects the values and morals of society for the sake of her own values despite the risks that they may have. Haywood uses this story to convey her own aspirations of self-liberation.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Works Cited: **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Cutter, Irving S., and Viets, Henry R., A Short History of Midwifery, W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia and London, 1964.

Craft, Catherine A. "Reworking Male Models: Aphra Behn’s Fair Vow-Breaker, Eliza Haywood’s Fantomina, and Charlotte Lennox’s Female Quixote." <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;">//<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Modern Language Review // <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> 86 (1991): 821–38.
 * <span style="background-color: #d6ca85; color: #003399; display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">//Clothing and Identity By: Dustin Stern-Garcia// **









Clothing in the 18th century was, at the time, taking a revolutionary turn. It was a time period that embellished on the elegant lifestyle that was so craved for by the people. According to Oriole Cullen, a researcher of European fashion in the 18th century, this time was a “singular, changing, revolutionizing century has become an icon in the history of fashion.” But within that culture, there were clear cut roles, and clothing helped play a part in identifying where you belonged in society.

There were many different types of attire for both men and women, from dresses to shoes to buckles, to head pieces and hairstyles. The bourgeoisie was on of the groups who “dressed in accordance with their rank” (Lacroix). They had on downscaled versions of the upper, elite class, which consisted of smaller wigs, neutral or darker colors, and women wore dresses with less embroidery and ribbons (Lacroix). These plainer than usual clothes would be a symbol to the world of a middle class woman. This would be similar to the housemaid costume, shown in the figures above.

Another outfit worn by Fantomina was a widow’s outfit, known as a “mourning undress” (Lacroix). This was a dress that showed to everyone that the woman was grieving the death of her husband. It was like a symbol of the times as to her current situation. And unusual for us, terms undress and dress mean very different things today when compared to the 18th century. Undress in that time period would refer to casual clothing, with a different type of clothing standards and accessories (Baumgarten). These might be clothes that were worn by the middle class when they were not going out in public. In a class all together differently was the lower class. Clothes that had been sewn together to form something that fit adorned those who could not afford real fashionable clothes, often without shoes or anything for their hair (Lacroix). This would be for peasants. However, in France, this was “not to be seen in Paris and the large cities, where the poor dressed in the left-off clothes of the rich” (Lacroix).

It is clear that so much of the lifestyle was reflected within the confines of clothing.

It was truly the identifier for first impressions of the day, which has carried over even to the likes of today.

Baumgarten, Linda. “Looking at Eighteenth-Century Clothing”. Colonial Williamsburg History Page. Colonial Williamsburg, 2006. http://www.history.org/history/clothing/intro/clothing.cfm
 * Work Cited:**

Cullen, Oriole. "Eighteenth-Century European Dress". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/eudr/hd_eudr.htm (October 2003)

Paul Lacroix. “French Fashions 1700-1789”. American Revolution Organization. http://www.americanrevolution.org/clothing/frenchfashion.html

In Philip Mansel’s scholarly article “’When you go to Court…be sure to wear fine clothes’, he discusses the social implications of clothing and their importance in class level as well as their relevance to social and economic status, focusing on the courts as the epicenter for the activity. He says that “costume usually says something accurate about the wearer’s status, ambitions and relation to the social-and sometimes political- structure of the day” (49). The clothing became a kind of sub-culture, with people paying large sums of money to wear clothes only a few times a year. He talks about how the there was a transition into slightly less fancy wear, as it became too expensive and too much a hassle to suit up into these elaborate costumes. He concludes by questioning the motive behind such elusive yet elaborate costumes in the courts, and cites the transition today to the less impressive for the masses, saying that the tradition only really applies to “ambassadors, the governors of such colonies as survive, and royal footman” (52).

This will all be relatable only by comparison, rather than any direct connection to the primary text.


 * <span style="background-color: #d6ca85; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">//<span style="background-color: #d6ca85; color: #003399; display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">Beliefs, Practices, Festivals, and Identity: By Nate // **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> It was hard to find information regarding British History in the Eighteenth Century and even harder to find information on religion because as Nigel Yates says in his book Eighteenth-Century Britain, “It tends not to form part of the school history syllabus, nor is it particularly popular with history undergraduates at universities” (Yates, 1). One reason was because “the period between 1714 and 1815 was one of relative religious calm after the religious wars of the seventeenth century” (Yates, 7). The beginning of the century started with the Act of Settlement of 1701, which stated that no Roman Catholic was to succeed the Throne. “This situation was not resolved until the accession of George III in 1760 and the death of James III in 1766” (Yates, 2).

Near the end of the century there was a change in what people believed in. As stated in The Norton Anthology of English Literature “toward the end of the century it seemed to many that the bonds of custom that once held people together had finally broken, and now money alone was respected” (Anthology, 2061) And with these new ideas, different forms of religion turned against each other. “Protestants turned against Catholics; in 1780 the Gordon Riots put London temporarily under mob rule. The king was popular with his subjects and tried to take government into his own hands, rising above partisanship, but his efforts often backfired” (Anthology, 2061).

The main themes of the religious history of the eighteenth century are as follows: “The first is the importance of the relationship between church and State” (Yates, 5). The next “theme is the theological tensions of the period between high churchmen… especially within the Anglican established churches” (Yates, 5). The last theme “is the importance of the churches in the provision of education and social welfare at a time when this was not considered the role of national or local government” (Yates, 5). In another book that I found called “Women and Enlightenment in Eighteenth-Century Britain, the author, Karen O’Brien described this from a female perspective saying that during the late eighteenth century there was also a counter-enlightenment which allowed “us to see how women Evangelicals themselves redirected the energies of the Enlightenment towards the moral tutelage of the young, the poor and the enslaved, conceding, in the process, that this must be their specialized female role” (O’Brien, 6). This is kind of ironic because in our re-write of “Fantomina: Or Love in a Maze,” we had the no name protagonist taking care of another baby that was not hers.



//<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">This is the Shrewsbury Chapel of Sheffield Cathedral (a typical Anglican Church) //

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">

Summary of Peer Reviewed Book:

I read a chapter from the book Eighteenth-Century Britain, by Nigel Yates, and it is a broad outline of British History, the period between 1714 and 1815. Britain at this time was both an ancient regime (which is a term rendered in English as “old rule,” “old kingdom,” or simply “old regime”) society and a confessional state, though not to the same degree as the Pre-Revolutionary France. This created a very different type of imperial Britain that existed between 1815 and 1914 which witnessed an economic, political and social change. The British Isles in 1714 experienced a change of dynasty in the accession of George I, the Lutheran Elector of Hanover. In the Act of Settlement of 1701 it had ensured that no Roman Catholic could succeed to the British throne. This situation was not resolved until 60 plus years later with the accession of George III in 1760 and the death of James III, which occurred in 1766. Britain, consequently after 1760 was more united than it had been before 1688, and perhaps more so. The political divisions of the Civil Wars and Interregnum had not been fully resolved by the late seventeenth century. The main themes in religion were as follows: The importance of the relationship between church and state, the theological tensions of the period between high churchmen, and the important role of the churches in the provision of education and social welfare at a time when this was not considered the role of national or local government. But this period was one of a relative religious calm in comparison to the religious wars of the seventeenth century. One main idea was rationalism which sought to encompass religion with the secular aspirations of society as well as developments in science and intellectual thought.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Works Cited: **

O'Brien, Karen. __Women and Enlightenment in Eighteenth-Century Britain__. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2009. “The Restoration and the Eighteenth Century 1660-1785.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th ed. Vol C.

Yates, Nigel. Eighteenth-Century Britain 1714-1815. New York : Pearson, 2008. Print.

<span style="background-color: #d6ca85; color: #003399; display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">//Fantomina Missing Passage://

//<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Part 1, by Kyle Hohn: //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">

Having arrived at the monastery, she had—having grown accustomed to the quotidian activities assigned to her by the head abbess—come into the realization that the rest of her days were to be cloistered from all civilization, and by extension all earthly pleasures would come to cessation. Oft, upon her bosom nestled her child whom she had thus far refused to give name for fear that misfortune would come between them; however, for sake of identification, she and the sisters referred to the child as Pearl. The vast majority of the convent viewed Pearl as the incarnation of the mother’s iniquities. The nuns saw all illegitimates, like Pearl, to be divine punishment for the previously detailed transgressions of her mother; they treated her accordingly. Though the other women professed their adoration, they would subtly make known their true tempers towards her in a manner that could not be said to be hostility with absolute certainty. At supper, all would find some convenient excuse to segregate themselves from the ignominious intruder that has of late come to taint their sacred halls. In every way—but in word—did they make know their disgust for her previous life. As with all of the nuns, she was assigned—in addition to her maternal duties—chores to complete each day without regard for the extraneous burden it put on her. Having to take care of the child and her quotidian tasks, she found all free time spent tending to either her chores or her child. As time continued, she became increasingly dissatisfied with her life at the monastery, deciding that she must find a way to liberate herself from her life of solitude and containment. Thusly, she began to think of a manner by which she could escape from the nunnery.

Part 2, Justin Tam

In the lonely monastery, the depressed Fantomina seeks refuge in the comfort of the interior barriers of her room and the shrieking sounds of her child. She remains bitter from being sent off to the monastery- wondering what she can do to change her predicament. Sitting in a chair -Pearl enveloped in hands- she deliberates about what tis the right choice for her and her child. As she walks out of her room, the blinding luminescence from the sun shines on her pale face. The clouds shift rapidly in the aqua filled sky, making Fantomina reminiscence the glory days of her entertained life. The idea of escape came to mind as she saw a group of pigeons soaring high above the monasteries covering representing her freedom. As the pigeons fluttered away she wanted to follow them and soar above the clouds and shroud herself away from the nuns and priests, as well as Beauplasir and her mother. She decides to creep slowly around each corner of the halls to find a crevice in the gray walls that surround her. But her thoughts drifted to her mother and what would the consequences be if she tried to escape. I must obey what the old lady’s will insists for me but I must think for myself and the child. Here I stare at the horizon, I have already sat for some time and I believe this, the choice I make will change my life for the better. I know not what to do, I am confused as ever, I wish there comes a sign to show me the righteous path. As she spoke these very words in her mind, the image of Pearl showed itself in the pool and that was thus a sign that she needed to escape. The bells rang through the halls and the echoes bellowed in her head, so many thoughts and ideals raced from head to toes. Saying to herself tis an injustice, locking a fair maiden in a monastery with the infant she gave birth to. I Want My Freedom! - is her instinct and her goal for her plans to escape. She flushes away her tears and grabs Pearl, readies herself for escape. Willingly knowing that she and the child will be victorious in the end.

Part 3, By Dustin Stern-Garcia:

With resolve, no more than she had with either //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">“Fantomina” or “ // <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The Widow Bloom” or Cecile, and yet no less then how she, steadfast in mission, sought for his affection in her more innocent of days, she decided to wait until the dark had over taken the sky. Though not customary for the others to be about the grounds of the monastery so late, she pondered her way silently, walking slowly down corridor and hallway, eyes closed, appearing deep in thought and prayer, so as not to arise suspicion. It was the back gate where she was headed, for at night it was neither watched nor protected over, and lest but an elephant could fit through its massive doors, acting like some gate between her old life and new. With her, she carried a shrouded child, clothed in a bed sheet, a relic of Beauplaisir that has been nothing more than a painful reminder of a life, or 4, lost in treacherous battle against her past love. It had plagued her long enough. Swiftly she moved, without waking the baby, over the stone pathways and past the haunting trees that had surrounded her since she had been here, as if looking down at her reputation, or what was left of it. She saw, almost by the gate, another nun walking in circles before the last turn she was to take to exit, seeming more broken than she herself felt. As so no to raise suspicion, she lay gently the baby down, and approached her with simple and genuine, if possible, concern. –What do you, //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">she inquired, do to keep yourself up so late and yet look so melancholy sister? Indeed the girl mentioned love, just as she had expected. Just as she anticipated, she had prepared an answered in order to both vacate the nun from the door and perhaps ease the burden, for she knew more than most, times four, how love was cruel. She suggested that rather than ponder it in the moon, where the nun was exposed, love was to be investigated in the solitude of the heart and home, for when we are faced with it, love has nothing more than a grasp on our heart, even when we are in the most secure of places. Apparently having worked on the nun, and the door being quickly cleared, and gazed once back, seeing the entrapment and the loss of life in such a holy place, where’s God will of marriage was pressed upon them just as man’s desires were, she opened the gate and left. // <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">

Part 4, By Becky Hoy:

She had no sooner made her escape with the little Pearl than she began cogitations towards the care of the young lady.--I do not believe (said she) that this fugitive life is one such fit for a child. Upon entering the countryside and viewing a cottage from afar, she began to form a plan. She donned the mantle of a distressed traveler and set for to her plot. She came upon the cottage in short time, the dusk being upon her, and rapped upon the door. She was greeted by a simple country maid and, in her arms, a young infant. Amazing! (said she) the resemblance to my Pearl is quite remarkable. This is quite fortuitous for my plan (continued she). Bon soir, Madame (said the maid) What can I help you with?--Please, please (said the trembling creature) I have lost my way. I fear the night creatures and for my baby. Oh, do come in (continued the maid). She rushed inside with the appearance of great fear for the approaching dark. The effect thusly was to create an immediate bond between the young mothers.--What is your name and why are you lost? (enquired the mother) My name is Jacqueline. I have been traveling abroad with my husband (said she)--We came to see the countryside (continued she), but it appears that I have wandered too far afield. Well, you are welcome here, ma cherie (said the mother). That evening after they had dined, the young mothers together put their children to bed side by side. Jacqueline then retired to her room to await the continuance of her plan. Once the house lay still, Jacqueline crept to the room housing the infants, whereupon she transposed the habit of one for the other, effectively creating the appearance that Pearl was now lying in the place of the other child. Satisfied with the appearance of the infants, she then placed a gentle kiss upon the little Pearl--Little one, you shall be safe here (said she) far removed from the dishonor of your birth and the life set forth for me. The next morning she found that the young mother had made no note of the transformations in the infants and, indeed, mistook little Pearl for her own. She made herself extremely happy at the reflection of her plot. She then provided her gratitude to the young mother more fervently than the other thought was necessary, for simple room and board, and set forth to the woods with her new young charge.

Part 5, By Nate Doney:

She felt depraved and starved, when she finally ran into the orphanage that was hidden deep in the woods. She muffled her hood over her face and she silently crept up to the big wooden door. Not of a disposition to think of anything to clearly, she looked up in awe at the enormity of the entrance. She wondered if she should knock, or simply lay the baby down upon the steps. She soon had a wild vision, and she knew what she was to do. She set down her baby and then she took off her clothes except for the worst of her undergarments and she set forth unto the bobbling brook that was in site of the orphanage. She put her plan to execution by rolling around in the mud and dirt and she even found some dried excrement that she rubbed upon her body. Now she was ready to embark upon her plan, she would simply say that she had found the baby when she was lost in the woods, and that she had rescued the baby. She would elaborately explain how she had given the baby, which she had named Jewel, all of her food and that she was close to exhaustion. The orphanage was bound to help them both out, and possibly if She played her cards right, maybe she could start working at the orphanage. Thus she could start a new life, away from the city, and away from the past.

Individual Contemporary Rewrite

Part 1 by Kyle Hohn

After arriving at the monastery, she had grown accustomed to the daily activities assigned to her by the head abbess and come to the realization that the rest of her days were to be shut off from all society, and by extension all hedonic pleasure would cease. Often, on her bosom nestled her child whom she had until now refused to give name from the fear that death would come between them; however, for sake of identification, she and the sisters referred to the child as Pearl. The vast majority of the convent viewed Pearl as the incarnation of the mother’s sinful activities. The nuns saw all illegitimate children, like Pearl, to be heavenly punishment for the previously detailed transgressions of her mother; they treated her accordingly. Though the other women professed their devine unquestioning love, they would subtly make known their true feelings towards her in a manner that could not be said to be hostility with absolute certainty. At supper, all the nuns would find some convenient excuse to segregate themselves from the shameful intruder that had of late come to blemish their sacred halls. In every way—but in word—did they make know their disgust for her previous life. As with all of the nuns, she was assigned—in addition to her maternal duties—chores to complete each day without thought for the extra burden it put on her. Having to take care of the child and her daily chores, she found all free time spent tending to either her chores or her child. As time continued, she became increasingly dissatisfied with her life at the monastery, deciding that she must find a way to liberate herself from her life of solitude and containment. Thus, she began to think of a manner by which she could escape from the nunnery.

Part 2 by Justin

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Fantomina finds herself in the monastery, after having Pearl and being placed there by her mother. At her time in the monastery, she becomes distant and lonely of her lost connection to society. She sits on a chair bitter at where she is in life and wonders what life is like beyond the walls of confinement. “I need some fresh air”, she goes outside and sees the bright sun, which reminds her of freedom and safety. The clouds in the sky are noticeable because to her, time is standing still but the world around her is moving. She sees a flock of pigeons of the roof of the monastery and wonders how easy escape would be if she were able to fly away. She just wants to get away from all the people like the nuns, priests, mother, and Beauplasir; in order for her to become an independent human being. Looking at the old walls of the hall, she notices there are very large cracks in the wall but not enough room to escape. She reminisces the time her mother locked her in a room with no way out; she felt the same confinement here. The mother figure frightens her to the point of anguish and becomes more and more hesitant of escaping. Afraid of the consequences, she asks God for a sign and let her know if she is making the right choice. In the pool of the garden, an image of Pearl appears and has her deep blue eyes. She has gotten her sign from God and strives to escape with her child. The bells in the tower struck and she knew that this signified a plan was needed in order to escape. The echoes of the bells made her entire body numb from emotions of fear to anxiety. Desperately wanting a normal life for her and her child, as soon as possible and without any obstacles. After joyfully crying from the thought of being freed with her child, she rushes to her room and closes the door to plan her escape. The thought of free is a joyous moment and the point that she made the conscious effort to either “due or die” from her point of view.

Part 3, By Dustin Stern-Garcia

She thought back to when things seemed easier; before Beauplaisir and the whole world of broken love. It was only more fuel in her fire. She waited until sun set, and the Nunnery was shrouded in the dark blanket of night. Slipping past those with the appearance of solitary contemplation, she made her way to the back gate. She had stayed up many nights planning how to get her and her daughter out of this prison. And her daughter, Pearl, wrapped delicately in a bed sheet she took. She looked at her with a complicated mix of feelings for her daughter. On one hand, life could be nothing without her. On another, life would have been much better. But it was time for her to move on. And with the wind blowing cold on her face, she pulled the sheet closer over her child’s head and pushed forward to the gate. Ahead of her, she saw another nun, a girl who she often spent time with walking and talking about life or God; A little sister to her more than anything. The nun paced the grounds, melancholy in her manner, and blocking the way out in the same way. Placing the baby down behind a tree out of sight, she approached her. Needed to get her to move. “Sister, what do you think is the reason we are here, in this nunnery?” “I am not sure anymore.” “Let me tell you, no one knows. But we must find out. It is our journey that is why we are here. Once we learn, we will move on and find some other place to wonder about it. For now, go to your bed and talk to God. Maybe he will have a better answer than either of us.” She smiled and gently brushed her sister towards her room. What she would have given to be so lost in thought, and not caught up in the worldly matter. With a fleeting look at the lost innocence, she picked up her child and walked out.

Part 4 By Becky After she made her escape from the monastery, she began to worry about what would happen to her child. “How can I keep running away from all my problems and raise a child? I’ll have to do something.” By this time she had wandered quite far into the countryside and had spotted a cottage in the distance. An idea struck her quite suddenly and she began to think of a back story. //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">I know, I’m simply a lost traveler, //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> she thought. She started towards the cottage. She made great time and was approaching the cottage just as the sun was beginning to set. She knocked on the door and was greeted by a simple woman, well-worn, still clearly young, but tired and in her arms she held a young infant. //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Amazing! //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> She thought, //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">that infant looks just like my little Pearl. This is only going to help my plan. //<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> “Bon soir, Madame. What can I do for you?” She then thought of the most terrifying moment of her life and responded, “Please, please! I’m lost in these woods and I’m afraid of wolves and bears and whether my child will survive the night.” The young woman’s countenance quickly became sympathetic. “Oh, please… come in.” She rushed inside to the warmth of the cottage; still trembling, her eyes full of fear. Her performance had created quite a change in the attitude of the other young woman and she could immediately feel a bond beginning to form. “What is your name,” said the other young mother, “and how did you end up all the way out here?” It took her only a quick second to divine an answer, “My name is Josephine. I have been traveling abroad with my husband and we came with our young child to see the countryside, but we got separated.” “Well, you are welcome to stay the night here, ma cherie.” Later that night, after they had had a delicious dinner, the young mothers put their children to bed together. Josephine then went to the spare room where she waited for the other young mother to fall asleep. Once the house was quiet, Josephine crept out of the spare room and towards the infants’ room. Once there, she switched little Pearl’s clothing with that of the other child and switched the places of the children. After she was done, she could hardly tell the difference between the two. She then went to the bed of little Pearl (now disguised as the other child) and placed a kiss upon her forehead, “Hush, now little one. You’re going to be safe here away from the terrible choices I have made for myself.” The next morning she discovered that the other young mother had noticed no change at all between the two children and, in fact, mistook little Pearl for her own child. She was extremely proud of her plan. She then thanked her savior fervently and took off into the woods with her new young charge.

Part 5 By Nate She was deathly tired when she finally ran into the orphanage that she had been looking for. If she had known that it was this deep in the woods, she would have considered another plan. She hid her face as she slowly crept up to the big wooden doors of the orphanage. She stood there feeling hopeless and lost. She did not know what to do. Should she knock on the door or simply leave the baby on the ground. In an instant, she had a wild thought. “Yes, it is so simple,” she thought to herself and she set the baby upon the ground, but still hidden from the view of the orphanage. Fantomina took off her clothes until she was only in her stockings and then she started rolling around in the mud. She smeared her face and then she tried to look at her appearance in the slow moving river, but her reflection was bouncing every which way off the rocks and embankments of this tiny river. Fantomina thought to herself, “This has to work. I have no other choice. I have nowhere to go.” She was ready to embark upon her plan. She was going to knock on the door and tell the workers of the orphanage that she had found this baby while she was lost in the woods. She had given the baby all of her meager rations and that they were both in desperate need of some help. “This has to work,” she thought to herself as she picked up the baby. “And maybe they will be kind enough to let us both stay here for awhile. Maybe I could start a new life out here in the woods.” As she was thinking these thoughts the big wooden door opened and an old lady appeared. “Oh darling, you look terrible! Come on inside and let us get you out of those clothes. What is your name Darling? And what are you doing all alone in the woods with a baby?” “My name is Fantomina,” she said with a slight cough as the lady was welcoming her in.

**<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Music: **

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<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 10pt;">Nathan Doney nadoney@yahoo.com ; Beliefs, Practices, and Festivals and Identity. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Kyle Hohn- hohnkyle@gmail.com ; Women, Maternity, and Identity Dustin- tindus@aol.com ; Clothing and Identity Justin- jwt888@gmail.com ; Professions, Occupations, and Identity Becky- Hoy_becky@yahoo.com ; Author's Identity