The Female Quixote

Throughout the novel, Mr. Glanville plays the role of the straight man to the delusional protagonist. Through fate and circumstance, he is bonded to Arabella. Unlike her, however, his life has not been marked by tragedy. He does not need the comfort of French romance novels to alleviate his pain and grief. Instead, he is a standard English middle-class gentleman. He is intelligent and charming, though not particularly outstanding in any respect. He is simply competent and considerate. In this novel, his regular disposition is unique.

Despite his considerate attitude and care for Arabella, he does try to change her. At times in the novel, he tries to be cunning. He makes legal arguments, for example, hoping that his logic and rules will allow Arabella to finally see sense. He believes that she can be reasoned out of her delusion with a sensible argument. This shows how much, at least at the beginning of the novel, he misunderstands Arabella’s worldview. She cannot be logically argued out of a position that she did not logically argue herself into. Arabella easily shuts down his attempts to reason with her.

Through sheer force of will and commitment, however, Mr. Glanville persists in his romantic pursuit of Arabella. He quickly falls in love with her, and the Marquis had long hoped that he and Arabella would marry. When the man dies, Mr. Glanville stands to financially gain from a relationship with Arabella. Despite this material benefit, however, his commitment to her is almost entirely emotional. He sincerely loves her, as he explains to his father. Sir Charles is equally sure that his son is responsible for Arabella, which frames her as Mr. Glanville’s burden. Throughout Arabella’s many delusions, Mr. Glanville apologizes to other people or explains that Arabella is unique in her worldview. He spends so much time sighing and excusing the woman he loves, but he cannot deny his love for her. Mr. Glanville frames his love as a burden that he alone must bear, yet none of his actions suggest anything other than a true commitment to her.

While Mr. Glanville spends so much of the novel trying (and failing) to change Arabella, the reality is that she succeeds in changing him. At first, Mr. Glanville has a disparaging and cynical attitude toward the chivalric principles of romance that form the foundation of Arabella’s worldview. When she talks about heroes, heroines, knights, and duels, he pays little attention. The more time he spends with her, however, the more he begins to internalize these ideas. On several occasions, people insult Arabella in conversation with Mr. Glanville. He takes offense to their comments. For example, he challenges Mr. Hervey to a duel, accidentally acceding to Arabella’s request that he defend her honor. Later, he challenges Sir George to a duel for a similar reason. Sir George emerges from the duel with a terrible injury, and in Arabella’s view, Mr. Glanville successfully defends her honor. When Arabella becomes very sick, Mr. Glanville stands vigil beside her, concerned for her recovery in a way that demonstrates his profound love for her. Quite by accident, Mr. Glanville is changed by his relationship with Arabella. He may not intend to become a chivalric hero, but he performs the role through his actions. Whether dueling the men who offend his love or standing beside his beloved while she recovers, he becomes the hero Arabella always wanted.

As the other foremost female character in The Female Quixote, Miss Glanville provides a natural foil for Arabella. Though Miss Glanville scorns Arabella’s beliefs and actions, she cannot help but envy her beauty and charisma. Arabella possesses a sincerity and a charm that Miss Glanville cannot match because there is nothing in her life that she cares about as much as Arabella cares about her French romances. This jealousy drives Miss Glanville to plot and conspire against Arabella, casting her as a minor antagonist. These plots are not particularly sinister, at least in comparison to Sir George’s elaborate schemes, but she seeks to embarrass and shame Arabella for the same values that make her unique. By continually pointing out that Arabella is different, however, she only succeeds in reminding herself how similar she is to everyone else. Her attempts to embarrass Arabella reflect off her and rebound into self-inflicted wounds.

Miss Glanville also harbors an affection for Sir George. Whereas he is chiefly interested in Arabella, he makes sure to flirt with Miss Glanville as a backup plan should his primary target turn him down. As much as Arabella is immune to Sir George’s charms, Miss Glanville struggles to comprehend how she is being manipulated. In this respect, she emerges as a more sympathetic character. While she may envy Arabella and plot against her, she is also a victim of others’ lies. Sir George treats Miss Glanville badly, yet she continues to love him, showing that she can maintain a delusion that is at least as strong as Arabella’s.

Despite her many schemes to embarrass Arabella, Miss Glanville does develop an unexpected affection for her cousin. Much in the same way that her brother unwittingly comes to resemble the heroic figures from Arabella’s beloved stories, Miss Glanville’s schemes become increasingly elaborate like Arabella’s novels. When she learns of Sir George’s plot, for example, she disguises herself in Arabella’s veil and tricks Sir George into believing that she is Arabella, which in turn causes her brother to challenge Sir George to a duel. This illustrates the effect that her sincerity has had on Miss Glanville, encouraging her to be more assertive, more innovative, and less willing to tolerate Sir George’s schemes.