The Female Quixote

“Which she attributed to some new Design he had formed to obtain her.”

Mr. Hervey is driven away by Arabella’s demands and delusions. Though he leaves under his own volition, Arabella cannot entertain the idea that he might not be conforming to her expectations. Her devotion to French romances helps her to devise a workable explanation for his departure; rather than admit that she might be wrong, Mr. Hervey is simply retreating to regroup. She is convinced that he fits the archetype of a suitor and cannot admit that she is wrong.

“Arabella eagerly opened the Letter; and, finding it in a Style so different from what she expected, her Dislike of him returned with more Violence than ever.”

When Arabella reads the letter from Mr. Glanville, she is angry at the style. The content means relatively little to her; the real outrage is that the world is not conforming to her romantic expectations. Arabella expects others to conform to her view of the world, and any rejection of her expectations is a rejection of her principles. Rejecting this framework causes more outrage than anything else they could do.

“That, since she was to be his Wife, it was his Business to produce a Reformation in her.”

Mr. Glanville’s love for Arabella is also a burden. Since he loves her and is set to marry her, she becomes his responsibility. This reflects the era’s gender roles—women are subordinate to their husbands, meaning the husbands are accountable for their wives’ behavior. His father, Sir Charles, is also charmed by Arabella, but he concedes that his son must do something to alter her delusions. Rather than play along with her act, they expect Arabella to change and conform to them.

“Her Books being the only Amusement she had left, she applied herself to reading with more Eagerness than ever.”

When Arabella’s worldview is challenged, she seeks out her novels and vanishes into her literary worlds. She seeks affirmation and comfort from the books that validate her delusions rather than engaging with people who challenge her. This passage shows the circular nature of her beliefs; when confronted with reality, she reads even more. This foreshadows how difficult it will be to change how Arabella sees the world.

“Alas! Madam! Said Lucy, terrified at this Discourse, who is it that intends to carry your Ladyship away?”

Arabella’s servant, Lucy, is one of the few characters who willingly indulges her mistress’s delusions. At points, she plays the role of Sancho Panza from Don Quixote, the loyal aide who indulges the protagonist’s absurd whims. While the other characters are astonished by Arabella’s claims, Lucy is credulous enough to share her employer’s emotional state, even without reading as many French romances.

“I shall not write it, said Arabella; tho’, questionless, it will be written after my Death.”

Miss Glanville tries to mock Arabella but only succeeds in illustrating the extent of her delusions. Arabella is not just a consumer of these historical romances; she views herself as a character in a string of adventures, someone whose story will inevitably be written down. Ironically, she is saying this as the protagonist of The Female Quixote, validating her idea that she is a character in a romance. For all the other characters’ criticisms, Arabella does have her history written.

“Sir George seized the Opportunity of saying a hundred gallant Things to her, which she received with great Indifference; the most extravagant Compliments being what she expected from all Men.”

Sir George tries to seduce Arabella by playing into her love of French romances. His efforts are juxtaposed here with her indifference. He speaks the language of the romances without truly understanding the content. In this instance, he lavishes praise on Arabella. Though he considers this an extraordinary display, she gives him no credit as this is what she expects from him. Sir George reveals the shallowness of his understanding of Arabella’s world.

“The Law has no Power over Heroes.”

Arabella’s delusions are typically treated as harmless. Occasionally, however, they have a drastic impact on the world around her. She believes that the laws that govern her beloved French romances should trump the laws that actually govern the world. She believes a hero should be immune to criminal charges if he murders someone in a heroic endeavor. Arabella’s distorted view of the justice system is a danger to herself and others as she rejects the legal system’s legitimacy and does not feel bound by the law.

“Upon my Soul, added Sir George (forgetting the Character he assumed).”

Sir George uses the language of the romances to win Arabella’s favor. His insincerity is revealed by his occasional lapses; he is playing a character rather than being himself. This is the key difference between him and Arabella. While they share a vocabulary, only she sincerely believes what she is saying. Sir George is adopting a different personality to manipulate a young woman into loving him.

“He looked upon him with a disdainful Frown, and told him in an haughty Tone, That he was very impertinent to speak of a Lady of her Quality and Merit so rudely.”

Over the course of the novel, Mr. Glanville gradually and unexpectedly begins to play the role that Arabella wants from him. When Mr. Hervey briefly returns, for example, Mr. Glanville finds himself drawn into a duel that he did not plan to fight. Mr. Hervey’s impertinence and insulting comments anger Mr. Glanville, who defends the honor of the woman he loves, just like a protagonist from one of Arabella’s novels.

“For he was apprehensive, that, following the Custom of the Ladies in Romances, Arabella would return his Letter; and therefore, to deprive her of an Opportunity of sending it back that Night, he ordered his Man to say, he waited for an Answer; but, as soon as he conveniently could, to come away without one.”

Sir George understands French romances better than anyone except Arabella, which allows him to anticipate her actions because he understands the genre’s conventions, archetypes, and plot arcs. Since he has read these books, he predicts that Arabella will return his letter unread. He instructs his messenger to leave before this can happen, thereby compelling Arabella to read the letter. This is an example of cynical manipulation, wherein Sir George does not believe in the principles of romance but still uses them to seduce Arabella.

“But to be absolutely perfect, interrupted Mr. Glanville, I must cure her of that Singularity; and therefore I beg you will not persist in assuming a Behaviour conformable to her romantic Ideas.”

Mr. Glanville feels a responsibility toward the woman he loves; he wants to help her break free of her delusions. Sir George, who believes himself equally in love with Arabella, does not want to help. He wants to use her state of mind to his advantage, putting his interests before hers. Mr. Glanville is willing to side with a rival to help Arabella, while Sir George is only interested in himself. This casts them in two typical romance archetypes; Mr. Glanville is the hero while Sir George is a rake.

“However, she repelled my Boldness with so charming a Modesty, that I began to believe, she might be a Person of illustrious Birth, disguised under the mean Habit she wore.”

One of Arabella’s most common delusions is that a common person must—because of their beauty or intelligence—be an aristocrat in disguise. Sir George knows this and ensures that his history has examples of this in action. He may have fallen in love with a milkmaid, but he preempts Arabella’s assumptions by insisting that she must be “a Person of illustrious Birth” (216). In this fashion, he tailors his life’s story to fit Arabella’s preferences to gain her love.

“A fine high-flown Speech indeed! said Sir Charles, laughing.”

Throughout Sir George’s story, Sir Charles interrupts with barbed remarks about the story’s outlandish nature. In this situation, he is juxtaposed with Arabella. Sir Charles, like the audience, assumes that Sir George is lying. Arabella, meanwhile, credulously accepts his story because it adheres to so many romantic principles. Through his laughing and interjections, Sir Charles reminds the audience of Sir George’s nefarious intentions.

“Sir Charles, Mr. Glanville, and Miss, laughing at this Answer, Arabella seemed greatly confused.”

Arabella’s reaction to Sir George’s story illustrates the dangers of her delusions. While the other characters cannot help but laugh at Sir George’s absurd story, Arabella is confused by their reaction. To her, the story seems real. Her inability to distinguish between reality and an obvious joke makes her vulnerable to manipulation by devious people like Sir George.

“But your suffering so tamely the Loss of this last Beauty, and allowing her to remain in the Hands of her Ravisher, while you permit another Affection to take Possession of your Soul, is such an Outrage to all Truth and Constancy, that you deserve to be ranked among the falsest of Mankind.”

Sir George may have finely tuned his story to include all the details from French romances and frame himself as a hero, but he fundamentally misunderstands the importance of honor and duty in relation to love. He mimics the romances’ high-flung descriptions of beauty and love, but—through his actions—reveals these descriptions to be hollow. He claims to have loved these women but did nothing to prove his love or show his loyalty. Arabella turns on him, affronted more by the insults to the principles of romance than his thinly veiled attempt to seduce her.

“Do not the same Things happen now, that did formerly?”

Arabella is legitimately stunned by the idea of a changing world. Since her version of reality is informed by fictional versions of medieval or ancient worlds—all of which were devised by contemporary writers, often with many historical mistakes—the notion of an evolving or changing society is alien to her. She believes that things occur exactly as they always have in her novels. To Arabella, the notion of a changing society is as absurd as her reality seems to others.

“A Lover should never have the Presumption to declare his Passion to his Mistress, unless in certain Circumstances.”

Arabella has formulated a set of rules that should govern society according to the principles of chivalry and romance. She is often astonished that others do not know her rules, so she offers her beliefs in broad, authoritative statements about what lovers should and should not do. Notably, these statements contain room to maneuver, such as suggesting that “certain Circumstances” might change her mind (285). Arabella lives according to these rules but gives herself enough flexibility to pursue her immediate desires, which speaks to the vague nature of the material from which she sources her ideas.

“Outrageous, Sir, said Glanville, do you suppose my Cousin is mad?”

For most of the novel, Mr. Glanville shares his doubts over Arabella’s state of mind with his father. He is keenly aware of her delusions and how strange she seems to outsiders. At the same time, he has fallen in love with her and has become slightly sympathetic to her beliefs. When Mr. Tinsel questions Arabella’s soundness, Mr. Glanville is incensed. He is offended at the insult to the woman he loves, and his reaction is almost in line with how a hero from one of Arabella’s romances might react. While defending Arabella’s honor, he reveals her effect on him.

“He took his Leave, earnestly entreating Sir Charles to believe that he never entertain’d any Design of making his Addresses to Lady Bella.”

Mr. Selvin works himself into an impossible position with Arabella. He is fascinated by her and keen to know her better, but she is determined to believe that he is wildly and inappropriately in love with her. Mr. Selvin is forced to appeal to Sir Charles, seeking out an authority figure to help him navigate these seemingly impossible waters.

“Arabella was quite transported to hear the Countess express herself in Language so conformable to her own.”

Meeting the Countess is a revelatory experience for Arabella. For the first time in her life, someone is sincerely versed in her view of the world. The Countess can speak the language of romances, allowing Arabella to truly express herself. Similarly, the Glanvilles hope that this mutual understanding will help them, as the Countess can mold Arabella into someone more suitable for high society.

“Our lovely Heroine had not been above a Fortnight in London, before the gross Air of that smoaky Town affected her Health so much.”

The city of London is an affront to Arabella’s romantic sensibilities. She was raised in the country, where her rural environment was much more conducive to her view of the pastoral past. Even her hardened delusions cannot account for the smog and poverty of London; the English capital is not a place of honor or beauty, so it becomes physically damaging for her to remain in the city.

“He lamented pathetically the Ruin such a ridiculous Study had brought on so noble a Mind; and assur’d Mr. Glanville, he would spare no Endeavours to rescue it from so shocking a Delusion.”

The physician plays an important role in curing Arabella of her delusions because, for the first time, her beliefs are treated with respect. Even those who love Arabella have viewed her as foolish, so they cannot talk her out of beliefs that they also mock her for holding. Their lack of sincerity is obvious. The doctor, by contrast, is sincerely interested in helping Arabella and hearing her ideas. For this reason, he succeeds where others have failed.