‘Our literature is full, as are our lives, of men and women, but especially women, who deny the reality of sexual attraction because of considerations of class, religion, race and gender itself.’ (Angela Carter, The Sadeian Woman) Compare the ways in which sexual relationships are represented in your chosen texts with this view in mind.
The act of repressing sexuality is inherently due to patriarchal discrimination, which is frequently depicted in all manner of literature. Winterson’s Oranges are Not the Only Fruit, Churchill’s Top Girls and some of Rossetti’s poetry such as Goblin Market, make reference to how considerations of patriarchal conformation has allowed or forced the repression and denial of sexuality. However, the effects of this fundamental and socialised subjugation is varied throughout each text, due to the discrepancy of socio-political and historical contexts. Nevertheless, despite this conflict in context, the aspects of religion, class and gender effecting the exploration of sexuality are ingrained throughout.
In Oranges and Goblin Market, it is clear that the overriding consideration for Winterson and Rossetti is religion – whereas, despite Churchill’s Top Girls including some elements of religion in Act I, it can be considered much more a commentary on socio-political situations that affect a woman’s sexuality. However, despite discrepancies in context, the commentary of these texts is that considerations of patriarchal essentialism forced onto factors of an individuals identity – such as gender, class, religion and race – have a subconscious ability to subjugate an individual into denying the presence of sexual attraction.
127 our experts are availableright now
Rossetti’s Goblin Market and Winterson’s Oranges are Not the Only Fruit both distinctly portray the punitive nature of religion in regards to sexuality. To some extent, the presence of this type of constraint on sexuality is also present in Top Girls, when in regards to class and social expectations on women.
Both Goblin Market and Oranges have a prevailing theme of sex being an object to be desired yet simultaneously denied. Rossetti narrates in Goblin Market how Laura eats ‘the fruit forbidden,’ that will ‘taint’ a young girl once she has tasted it. The ‘fruit,’ is most likely a metaphor for sexual intercourse outside of marriage, which was seen as ‘damning’ and ‘sinful’ for a young girl. The fruit is as close as Rossetti comes to describing sex as the ‘forbidden fruit’ from the Garden of Eden, showing how premarital sex is seen to be as damning as the Original Sin, in the eyes of Laura and Lizzie. This damning effect on Laura is accentuated by physical change where, as explained by Kathryn Burlinson, ‘typical pubescent changes are exaggerated until they become grotesque1,’ ‘wilting’ and ‘dwindling,’ with ‘sunk eyes’ and a ‘faded mouth’.
Similarly, Oranges is rife with biblical references to show how Jeanette’s developing sexuality is actively denied by her family and religion. These ‘fruits forbidden’ in the case of Jeanette are fruits that diverge from the teachings of her mother and furthermore the Pentecostal missionary church to which they belong – therefore eating any fruit other than ‘oranges’ becomes the ‘fruit forbidden’. For example, Jeanette’s adoptive mother (a devout Christian missionary), explains to Jeanette that ‘unnatural passions,’ such as those of the lesbian shop-keepers will damn them, because ‘evil can triumph, but never for very long,’ as their ‘religious fate’ will come for them.
However, Oranges are Not the Only Fruit, with its instances of humour and allegorical story- telling, scorns the solemnity of religious conditioning, as the narrator’s wit allows the reader to keep a more critical view of the way religion is practised and the way its followers alienate faith from sexuality. Winterson has described how Oranges looks at the way ‘the Church is offered up as a sacrament of love, when really it is exercising in power,” and furthermore patriarchy, altering the social norms of femininity to suit the organic nature of a patriarchal mechanism.
The presence of patriarchal influence within religious spaces is a theme Churchill explores in Top Girls. Aligning with her socialist political views, Churchill views the presence of religion as destructive, as it allows women to become alienated from their own bodies and sexuality. Pope Joan in Act I of Top Girls exemplifies this, as her devotion to religion and religious practice forced her to deny her sex and embody a male character, therefore when she became pregnant Joan had become so divorced from her own body, it ultimately became her demise.
The public birth of her baby exposed her as a woman, however ‘women, children and lunatics can’t be Pope,’ and she was stoned to death for her ‘religious crimes’, and the baby executed immediately. Churchill demonstrates here that religious practice and sexual intercourse become the antithesis of each other when in consideration of gender, as if Pope Joan had been male, her death would have been peaceful and in great luxury as a religious icon. However, her female body, sexuality and ability to give birth made her inherently corrupt.
The theme of inherent corruption and furthermore redemption, is furthermore explored in Goblin Market. As Lizzie and Laura are reflective images of each other, when attempting to redeem or disguise their socially and religiously ascribed ‘dissoluteness’. For example, Laura is psychologically based on instinct and desire, described as Like a vessel at launch When its last restraint is gone, (85-86)
Having tasted the forbidden fruit, she has lost all self-restraint and is without inhibitions, becoming a ‘leaping flame’. The ‘dripping’ pitcher that she carries is an almost explicit metaphor for her arousal and, as Burlinson explains, signifies ‘her lack of physical containment3. Lizzie contrastingly has been conditioned to consider the consequences on her moral value, based on religious and social expectations. Having ‘veil’d her blushes,’ Lizzie displays her feminine conservatism, attempting to hide her temptation towards the goblin men’s ‘fruits’. However the temptation is still identically present and un-ignorable, as her blushes are veiled but ultimately still very present.
The ‘precious lock’ Laura hands over to the goblin merchants as payment is ultimately a symbol of her feminine worth and virginity, therefore corrupting herself and besmirching her maiden purity when she cuts it away. Unlike Laura, Lizzie heeds to the social expectations of a Victorian era girl and ‘safeguards’ her worth – as she ‘shut eyes and ran’ from the fruit’s temptation. Laura’s carelessness and lack of social constraint is similar to that of Rossetti’s ‘Jessie Cameron’, as she wishes to ‘go her own free way’, described as ‘careless’ and ‘fearless’ just as Laura is conveyed in Goblin Market. Having both not ‘hastened’ to their homes Jessie and Laura meet corruption and tragedy – however unlike Goblin Market, Jessie has ‘no friend like a sister’, that has any real redemptive power, as her mother ‘never turned her head to look’.
The juxtaposition of these sisters’ attributes is comparable to the contrasting characters of Joyce and Marlene, in Churchill’s Top Girls however, their differences contribute to a much more hostile relationship – with no sense of harmony. Churchill in the play, demonstrates how the significance of class conflict under a Thatcherite government can have an effect on society that even the ‘unbreakable’ bonds of sisters cannot withstand.
Unlike Oranges and Goblin Market the presence of religious influence is very much undefined outside of Act I, as the increasing secularisation of Great Britain is truly reflected in Top Girls, with little consideration for religious beliefs in regards to sexuality. However, the themes of gender and class become extremely prominent as a restriction on a woman’s sexuality.
The Thatcherite setting in Top Girls demonstrates a clear class-conflict between working class and middle class Britain, especially in the relationship between Marlene and Joyce. The heavy emphasis on developing competition and the opportunity to gain economic wealth during this period saw the emergence of a division in feminism, whereby ‘powerful’ women of the 21st century who regarded their career’s at the utmost importance became known as ‘bourgeoise feminists’ or ‘liberal feminists’. Churchill has a clear disdain for this feminism, as it fails to realise and investigate the core problems of a patriarchal society and instead attempts to become a cog in the capitalist mechanism – at the expense of underclass and working class women. Therefore, Eric J Evans described how Britain ‘became a more unequal society under Thatcher,4′ creating an even more distinct wealth gap that was somewhat dissipated during ‘One Nationism’.
The expectations of these sisters are vastly different in terms of their socio-sexual contracts, as Marlene’s liberal attitudes to sex are somewhat undermined by the expectation that sex equals pregnancy, therefore inhibiting her ability to gain a substantial career. Contrastingly, within a working class background sexual promiscuity is considered to be demeaning, even young girls such as Angie use slurs such as ‘slag’ to describe Kit’s mother, demonstrating the pejorative attitude that was present in this socio-economic background. However, despite this negativity, women from this background are encouraged to raise and care for children, putting all other expectations aside to care for their children, or in the case of Joyce, another person’s child.
The three texts explored make many references to the links between class and gender that could force an individual to deny the reality of sexuality in its many forms. Churchill, as a Marxist feminist clearly indicates the societal construct of class boundaries and how these restrictions impact the way gender is perceived and acted upon. Within the play, themes of class and gender are clearly interrelated and control the actions of an individual, especially in terms of the abandonment of sexual attraction. For example, Isabella in Top Girls actively denies attraction to ‘Rocky Mountain Jim’, due to considerations of societal status. The historical Isabella (born in 1831) on which Churchill’s character is based, describes in letters to her sister Hennie, her attraction to Rocky Mountain Jim, commenting on his ‘golden hair yellow in the sunshine’. However, her fictional counterpart explains how her attraction was repressed, as it would be ‘demeaning’ for her to become involved with Mr Nugent. She describes how Jim ‘was a man that any woman may love but none could marry’.
This is due to the fact that the social status of a woman is determined by the dominant male figure in their life, therefore marrying ‘Rocky Mountain Jim’, would lower her status as she was the daughter of a clergyman – especially in a time-period before first-wave feminism. Furthermore, despite the success of first-wave feminism prior to Jeanette’s birth in 1959, the presence of misogynistic class boundaries for women is still present in Oranges are Not the Only Fruit. For example, Jeanette’s mother describes ‘next door’ (who are underclass and originally from a council home) and the ‘gypsies’, as evil ‘fornicators’ influenced ‘by the devil’.
Jeanette is told explicitly to stay away from them – demonstrating how class boundaries can restrict individuals and sexuality is considered to be for ‘lower classes’ and ‘the heathen’. The language used here by Mrs Winterson truly exemplifies the negative attitude she has in regards to sexual exploration and underclass individuals. Similarly, within Rossetti’s ‘Jessie Cameron’ the xenophobic fear of ‘gypsy’ blood and witchcraft is furthermore reiterated, as Cameron’s ‘lover’s grandam’ was a ‘black witch from beyond the Nile,’ described as ‘unked’ there is clear class conflict and mistrust, as Cameron’s lover was ‘no mate’ for her due to his ‘gypsy blood’. This therefore meant she was unable to explore her sexual relationship due to considerations of his and her own class boundaries.
The denial of Jeanette’s own sexuality within Oranges are Not the Only Fruit by her family influences the way in which she makes effort to disguise her ‘unnatural passions,’ and is similar to Isabella’s denial of Mountain Jim. However, in Oranges the consideration of class within Isabella’s situation is instead reflected by the considerations of gender and same-sex relationships in Jeanette’s life.
These considerations of gender are furthermore prevalent from the patriarchal and extremely religious society in which Jeanette lives – just as Isabella’s status is defined by the dominant man within her life, Jeanette’s lesbianism is defined by her lack of attraction to men. Winterson furthermore makes a number of references to the suppression of sexuality within Jeanette’s and her own life in the introduction of Oranges, for example, Mrs W (Jeanette’s adoptive mother), asks Jeanette ‘why be happy when you could be normal?’. This question became the title of her subsequent autobiography, demonstrating the way in which considerations of normality which encapsulates the binaries of class, gender and religion, is more important than Jeanette’s personal happiness which includes the freedom to explore her sexuality. This is demonstrated more distinctly as Jeanette enumerates the ‘enemies’ of her mother and subsequently Jeanette herself. Included in these ‘enemies’ is ‘sex (in its many forms)’. This extremely explicit rejection of sexuality justified by the restrictions of her religion shows the way in which society makes considerations towards religion to deny the reality of sexuality and sex itself. This interrelation of sexuality and religion is furthermore present in much of Christina Rossetti’s poetry.
Despite the fact that Rossetti was born in the early 19th century, much earlier than Churchill or Winterson, the way religion manipulates the perceptions of society regarding sex is extremely similar. Like Jeanette, Rossetti was born into an extremely religious household – in which her Anglican faith stopped her from seeing much of the world outside her own home – – meaning her understanding of sex was extremely limited.
However, the presence of sexual curiosity and the tension this causes on her faith is a common theme throughout her poems – especially Goblin Market. The most obvious indication of this interest is Laura, as she is described as ‘curious’ and ‘wondering,’ as she ‘reared her glossy head’ to get a better look at the goblins and their fruit which tempts her. However, Lizzie restrains herself and her curiosity, as she ‘covered up her eyes’, warning against the ‘unknown soil’ on which the fruits have been grown. This theme of ‘unknowing’ and ignorance about sexuality is similar to how Jeanette’s knowledge of sex is extremely limited and innocent – knowing it only as ‘the enemy’, much as the goblins in Goblin Market make sex appear to be strange and animalistic, but still extremely desirable.
The language Rossetti uses to describe the ‘goblin men’ demonstrates this: one has a ‘cat’s face’, that ‘prowled’, ‘obtuse and furry’. The use of ‘prowled’ clearly shows the predatory disposition of the goblins; however the juxtaposition of ‘prowled’ and ‘cooing all together’ demonstrates the internal conflict of Rossetti towards them, as they are simultaneously dangerous and furthermore charming in the way they ‘coo’ ‘full of loves’. Furthermore, the rhyming of ‘loves’ and ‘doves’ emphasises the way in which this is an affirmative correlation in the eyes of Rossetti – despite the equivocal language used.
It could also be said that the goblins are a metaphor for the way Rossetti perceives men, depicting them as ‘less than human’ with their aim to tempt and taint young women – much like the view Mrs Winterson has in Oranges are Not the Only Fruit towards the ‘gypsies’ and ‘underclasses’ with no discernible connection to God. Furthermore, with the fairy-tale like setting of the poem and a loose AABB rhyming pattern, Rossetti creates a sense of innocence and inexperience when discussing sex and sexuality – seeing it as a monster to be feared (much like in the way Mrs Winterson regards it as the temptation of the devil) with a ‘rat’s pace’. Rossetti also uses internal rhyme to create emphasis on phrases such as ‘hurry-scurry’ to show how the movements of the goblins were animalistic – driven by instinct rather than rational thinking as expected of human beings. This shows that Rossetti’s faith has allowed her to become fearful of men and sexuality, and its ability to tempt and seduce women into premarital sex, leading her to deny sexual exploration in fear of a terrible fate such as Jeanie’s.
The church as a patriarchal institution furthermore makes influence on Oranges, however there is a distinct lack of strong male figures within the text with most of the church congregation being comprised of women. Furthermore, the male characters that are present are deemed to be disappointing and fraudulent – relying on the hard work of women to their own advantage. For example, Winterson consistently refers to her adoptive father as ‘[Mrs W’s] her husband,’ this demonstrates a lack of personal connection and takes away his autonomy, reversing the effects of a patriarchal society and reducing his self identity.
Furthermore, the actions of her father are unsatisfactory and almost laughable, as he ‘hadn’t even bothered to fold up the cloth’. Winterson’s use of language in regards to Jeanette’s father is often condescending, as he ‘was never quite good enough’, therefore the work is solely left to Jeanette’s mother. This is similar to Top Girls in the way men are described with disdain, as in Act II Scene III Nell explains how, ‘Marlene’s got far more balls than Howard and that’s that,’ describing him as complacent due to his gender, thinking ‘because he’s a fella the job was his as of right.’
In Top Girls, Churchill – as a self-proclaimed ‘feminist and socialist playwright’ – uses the play as a direct answer to political events of her decade, including the way in which a women’s sexual contract with society has changed vastly throughout time. This comes from the juxtaposition of Marlene’s fantastical dinner party in which well known women of history (both mythical and historical) discuss their struggles with patriarchy and the socio-sexual commitments that oppress them during their lifetimes.
Marlene’s world of right-wing feminism shows the rise of an evolution on the restriction of sexual exploration for women, 5 Unpublished interview with Linda Fitzsimmons (21 April 1988), (File on Churchill). for example, in Act II Scene I, Marlene interviews Jeanine – who is advised against telling employers that she is engaged, as it is an expectation for women to have children once married, but is furthermore seen as detrimental to a professional career. This restriction on a women’s sexual freedom can easily be compared to the way in which Laura and Jeanie, appear to ‘wither’ and ‘wilt’ after eating the fruits from the goblin market, which is akin to the way a woman’s career dies after having children or marrying – showing the way patriarchal expectations restrict women from acting on sexual expression.
In conclusion, when regarding the question of whether considerations of class, religion, race and gender itself causes an individual to deny the existence of sexual attraction, it is clear to see that within the literature explored we can agree with Angela Carter’s statement. The presence of this affect however is varied amongst the texts, due to the widely disparate contexts of the literature. For example, despite the clear denial of Jeanette’s sexual orientation by her religion and her family, there is a recognisable lack of denial from Jeanette herself. This is due to her being raised believing that she had been ‘chosen’, using biblical comparison to Jesus’ birth and her own metaphorical ‘birth’ into her new family, as ‘she [Mrs W] followed a star until it came to settle above an orphanage,’ where she was adopted.
Furthermore, Jeanette had always known herself to be ‘the bloom of the covenant,’ consequently the development of her own sexual orientation never appeared to her to be ‘wrong’ or ‘unnatural’ as she could not possibly be anything but holy, unlike the ‘heathen’ gypsies or ‘next-door’ who were ‘possessed by the devil,’ therefore, as explained by Roz Kaveney, ‘she is genuinely surprised to be denounced from the spirit,’ and ‘starved and exorcised into recantation”. This, despite their clear similarities, separates Goblin Market from Oranges, as Laura is quick to renounce her sexual desires for the security of religious purity, after being offered a second chance by her sister. This is intelligible due to its ‘cautionary tale’ style – showing how Rossetti clearly wishes to describe the danger of sexual exploration on a person’s moral and religious worth – whilst never totally denying its appeal.
Finally, Churchill’s political orientation shines through in Top Girls, as the socio-political background of a Thatcherite Britain makes huge influences on the lives of the characters. Following on from Churchill’s socialist-feminist background, Top Girls can ultimately be considered a commentary on the vulnerability of women that is due to their ability to become pregnant in a patriarchal society. This can be seen through almost every character’s life in Top Girls. This is furthermore reflected less explicitly in the life of Marlene, as she makes the decision between keeping Angie or developing her career and becoming economically successful. The considerations made here are ultimately a reflection of the ways women make considerations for their gender and the way they engage in sexual activity, as the ‘risk of motherhood’ could outweigh the desires of sexual exploration, due to the detrimental economic impact it could have. As Churchill succinctly described this in Cloud Nine Act II, Scene III, ‘you can’t separate fucking and economics’.
