For Monday: Cavendish, “The Contract”

The Anonymous group should answer TWO of the following:

Q1: What is Cavendish’s view of men in the story? Both suitors are said to be vain and debauched, and both act cowardly toward the Young Lady in the story. Even her uncle, for all his open-mindedness, threatens her by saying, “if you consent not, never come near me more, for I will disclaim all the interest of an uncle, and become your enemy” (28). Is she satirizing the idea of male protectors in this story? Or is this simply a realistic portrayal of men who mean well, but often fail to do the right thing (but can still be redeemed)?

Q2: What does this story say about a woman’s coming-of-age in seventeenth-century England? What social conventions and rituals must she follow? What taboos must she avoid? Why is it difficult for a girl raised in isolation in the country to understand and follow these rules?

Q3: The Young Lady ultimately wins her suit before the judges using what she claims is the “truth of her cause,” and “the justness of my plea” (42). Are we meant to applaud her use of rhetoric to win back her true love? Or is this her own ‘fall’ into wickedness and sin? In other words, is she more honest or conniving in the courtroom? Consider, too, that the Duke’s wife calls her a “crafty, flattering, dissembling child” (40).

Q4: Is the moral of this story to use your wit and intelligence to disobey your elders (who are blinded by money and power)? Or is this moral to ignore your own thoughts and desires and follow the advice of your parents/uncle? Which one does the Young Lady ultimately seem to follow?