The Coquette and Hope Leslie
The Early Times in the Massachusetts also known as Hope Leslie is a novel written by Catherine Maria Sedgwick in 1827. Among the books written by that time, this book has been considered more important because of its strong ideas of equity and fairness as well as the feminism theme it promotes toward Native Americans. On the other hand, the history of Eliza Wharton or the coquette a type of novel called epistolary published in 1797 by Hannah Foster Webster express the theme of love, gender, and friendship.
- What feature(s) or element(s) did you most enjoy about Foster’s The Coquette? Why?
In foster’s the coquette there is unique and fascinating employment of different stylistic devices as well as features and elements right from plot, to theme, to characterization, tone and manifestation of the conflict therein. First and foremost, at the beginning of the story foster employs religious language, sounds and colors that give a mood expression of a religious setting or ambient atmosphere of Christian community. In addition, the genre itself is classic and fester’s point of view in this novel literally took the angle of the multiple first person narrators through the use of letters (Foster 25).
Another interesting element in the novel is the buildup on the novel’s climax and major conflict. Foster’s style of escalating the major conflict that has been underlying and mild overtime is very interesting. In the course of her writing, she reveals the conflict in the story of whether or not Eliza will accept the marriage proposal and be seduced by the major Sanford, the wile of the known libertine, which she considered as bringing shame to herself and losing her virtue. The discovery by Mr. Boyer about Eliza inappropriate misbehaviors with Major Sanford that prompt him to break off their engagement makes the climax in this novel (Foster 40).
The use of mood and tone in the novel is also high class and interesting, the author keep shifting the tone of the story that makes the story so interesting. Fester’s shifts the story from letter to letter throughout the novel that is from anxious to glee to elation to moralizing to ennui to despair. The characters are clearly defined; the protagonist and the antagonist. The themes in the story in the story are clearly manifested hence making the novel interesting and worth educative, such as marriage, gender, and friendship.
- Do you think The Coquette would be a better novel if it were written as standard narrative rather than in epistolary form? Why or why not?
Primarily, there was no a better form to write the novel, the coquette that the epistolary form. Insofar as the epistolary form is an ancient or an old form of novel writing that involve the use of letters written between and by the characters to make the plot, it has numerous advantages over the standard narrative.
The most significant one regarding this novel by Foster is the fact that the reader to the letters in this form of novel writing is privy to the private feeling and thoughts of the character and the writer including the setting, plot, and themes of the narrative. The advantage is manifested in realization of Eliza’s reluctance in accepting the marriage proposal from the clergyman, Major Stanford.
Moreover, this style also enhances the presentation of the events in the novel from several points of view, which lends the story verisimilitude and dimensions as in the case of Eliza and Major Stanford marriage plan. More importantly also is the fact that this style made the literal work or the story more realistic psychologically and penetrating as a result of its reliance on subjective points of view, unlike, the standard narrative hence making epistolary style more appropriate even as it was the style used in this novel.
- Why does Hope Leslie begin as it does—with a story of jilted love followed by narratives of white and Indian brutality?
The main character hope had to surface with authority and audacity, and focus to her vision, since she was coming in at a time when the feminism and discrimination of women was at its peak in the society (Sedgwick 100). In addition, she was also surfacing at a time when the cultural customs were strong and dictated people’s decisions including the aspects of marriage and love.
- How satisfying is the ending of the novel for you? Why?
Personally, the end of the novel is satisfactory basing my argument on the major occurrences and issues in the entire novel. Since the major themes that emanate from this story primarily revolve around love and independence and to some extend the role of women in power and authority, these entire themes have been build and the story ends when every theme is realized. All the characters have the chance to escape from the status quo to gain their freedom and desire. Hope surfacing in a male dominated society fights her way out though the difficult cultural background and the end the “Love conquered all”
Works cited
Sedgwick, Catharine Maria. Hope Leslie. 1st ed., London, Penguin, 1999,
Foster, Hannah Webster, and Cathy N Davidson. Coquette (Early American Women Writers). 1st ed., Oxford University Press, 1986,.
