Mar 27 2020
The Woman of Colour
When we return from our “recalibration” period, we’ll be discussing the only novel assigned for this course that isn’t written by Jane Austen. The Woman of Colour (1808) was published anonymously not long after the abolition of the British slave trade in 1807. We don’t know who wrote it (anonymous publication was very common at the time—remember that Austen’s works were likewise anonymously published during her lifetime). However, scholars have speculated that the epistolary novel—about a mixed-race woman forced by her father’s will to travel to England to pursue a marriage of connection—was also written by a mixed-race woman, given the level of seemingly personal detail. (We’ll talk about this more in our discussion section.)
In order to help you think about the situation represented in the novel, I’m asking you to read this short essay by the historian Catherine Hall. The essay is actually a review of a different book, but it does a nice job of summarizing the complex subject position of real life figures like the fictional Olivia: illegitimate children born to enslaved women who were raped by their owners. Children who, nevertheless, could lay claim to certain legal rights.
As you read The Woman of Colour, use this historical context to get your bearings. In a short comment on this post (~250 words), due Monday 4/6, give your first impression of the novel. Please make a connection either to the Catherine Hall essay or to one of the Austen novels we’ve read. Your post should include at least one specific reference to The Woman of Colour. (Please be sure to quote accurately and cite page numbers.)
Dido Belle, born into slavery, adopted daughter of Lord Mansfield. Belle is pictured on our edition of this novel. I’ll say more about her in our discussion section.
10 Responses to “The Woman of Colour”
I find this novel very interesting. The language and diction is so similar to Jane Austen’s novels that if you told me she published this novel I would believe it. Olivia Fairfield seems like the typical protagonist of a Jane Austen novel. She considers herself a small fish in a large pond the same Catherine Moreland was. Despite that initial similarity, the introduction of her character as a mixed race Jamaican creates an insecurity that is unchangeable. While other Austen protagonists can marry up to increase there status in society, Miss Fairbank’s physical characteristics will be forever and will shape how English society views her. There’s also her fear that she is being used by the Mertons to get access to her dowry of sixty thousand pounds. One scene was telling was on page 77 when Mrs. Merton served her boiled rice for breakfast. It represents a lot of how England treat mulattos. They have knowledge of her upbringing yet they still believe her to have the palette of a poor west Indian slave. I also like how on the same page, they put in parenthesis “My brothers and Sisters” when she refers to poor slaves. It shows Olivia’s duality as she knows her relation to the slaves but cannot refer to them that way in order to maintain her status. This also goes back to the point made in the Hall essay about the British Upper class using mulattos as a sort of middle class to maintain power over poorer dark skinned slaves.
I am really enjoying /The Woman of Colour/ quite a lot—so far. It’s one of those books that I have difficulty putting down. I find the writing style to be a bit different from Austen’s, though I know that the abolitionist agenda was a movement that she was particularly interested in. This novel is written in the form of an epistolary (at least, from the parts that I have read so far) with a series of letters that are addressed to Mrs. Milbanke.
As of late, I have found a great interest in reading books about illegitimacy, as it had never occurred to me what a controversial topic it had been throughout history.
In her essay, “Persons outside the Law,” Catherine Hall gives great insight into the issues that will be further examined in the reading of /The Woman of Colour/. She begins her essay by referring to an example of William Macpherson, who had ended up marrying an African woman, Countess (later renamed as ‘Harriet’). Although it started as any ordinary marriage, he had ended up abandoning her after he fell into heavy debt. Hall writes herself, “Affection had its limit.” Harriet represents the many black women who had been neglected by white men. In /The Woman of Color/, Olivia Fairchild shares a similar fate to that of Harriet: she will be getting married to a white man.
I really admire the character of Olivia Fairchild. After the loss of her [white and slaveholding] father, she is left as an orphan. Her affection for her father is evident through the words in her letters when she writes: “When I lost my father, I lost every thing which could make life desirable.” (64) The affection was reciprocated, as her father had arranged for her to be married to his nephew in England, Augustus Merton—or, in other words, her white first-cousin. And thus, begins the voyage for Olivia Fairchild from Jamaica to England.
In Hall’s essay, there is a discussion of the mixed race—children who have a white and black parent. She elaborates upon the fact that they were seen as a threat to the ‘stability of racial order,’ especially when they begin to claim property and political rights. Bringing illegitimacy to the equation would further complicate the scenario, as transmission of property was claimed by those of a ‘legitimate race.’
Hall’s essay does pique my interest upon how Olivia will manifest as the novel’s heroine. I can begin to see her outspoken nature when she explains the concept of equality to little George. This is one of my favorite scenes, and occurs after little George complained of “that nasty black woman has been kissing me, and dirtying my face all over!” (78) Gently, Olivia explains to the young boy that “God chose it should be so, and we cannot make our skins white, any more than you can make yours black.” (79) In response to Olivia’s input on the equality of human beings, he responds, “I could wish that God had made you white, ma’am, because you are so very good natured; but I will kiss you, if you like.” (79) As a reader, this portrays a very likeable image of Olivia—which is crucial to a novel that brushes upon a sensitive topic of racism. In fact, Olivia’s calm and sensible nature would make her attractive to any reader, including those of the day when this novel had been first published.
I look forward to finishing this book, and I am deeply curious who the author might be, as I’d be interested in reading other works.
In Persons Outside the Law, Catherine Hall states, “Difference in skin color could provoke violence, sometimes affection, rarely indifference; often it elicited mixed feelings.” Olivia has expectations of rejection because of her skin color in so many situations, the one that was most poignant was in the case of Augustus. He had proclaimed his love to Olivia, assuring her that he wanted to marry her and gave no insinuation that her skin color was an issue. Later, her worries about his judgment are proven true in his admission in his personal letter. He experiences these ‘mixed feelings’ the most because aside from his initial thoughts, he finds that all the other aspects about her character are very admirable. In the case of Mrs. George Merton it seemed that it was Olivia’s skin color was the only thing that provoked the violence of her attack on Olivia’s happiness, however it becomes revealed that there was more to it than that.
Her rights to her father’s wealth are withheld from her primarily by stipulations in his will, and later by Mr. George Merton as influenced by his wife. In speaking of the Merton’s, Olivia writes, “…it was plain that he considered himself master of my future fate… almost commanding me to go to London and to place myself under the protection of Mrs. George Merton!” P149 The words ‘master’ and ‘commanding’ are italicized in the novel and emphasize how much the Merton’s are treating her as though they own her, and through this ownership are taking away her money and her choices. This concept of withholding natural human rights — to respect, to freedoms, and to money; seems to be given a reason by Hall, “Illegitimacy was an infringement of the social and racial order, indeed an attack on it.” When applied to Olivia’s situation, it is as though her moving to England from Jamaica, as well as her marriage to Augustus are a furthering attack on the racial order that goes past her existence as a daughter to a slave and slave owner.
Olivia is no aggressor, instead she is attacked in many ways, she is judged and exploited and subsequently, her life is thrown to disorder. It can be imagined, especially with her beautiful moving scene with the Merton’s son, that she would have had a child, been a dedicated wife. Instead, she ventures to Jamaica on her own, with her inheritance, and the promise to meet a true loving friend who knows all of her history in Mrs. Milbank. Olivia’s story in The Woman of Colour is one of utmost inspiration.
Like many of Austen’s novels, The Woman of Colour is one centered around marriage. Olivia, like Emma for example, finds herself at odds with the idea of marriage–with Emma dismissing marriage altogether, and Olivia not wanting to marry her white cousin. I’ve enjoyed the novel thus far because it is like a Jane Austen novel but with a bit of flavor. It is similar to an Austen novel not only in it’s theme of marriage, but in it’s prose. Like many of my classmates before me have noted, this novel sounds uniquely inspired by Austen’s way of writing, more particularly her way of writing female protagonists. We have our “woe is me” protagonist in The Woman of Colour, except this time I would say Olivia’s “woe is me” disposition is warranted–given the fact that she is the daughter of a slave and slave owner. Her life is naturally complicated given the hue of her skin and heritage.
Another aspect I enjoyed about the novel is it’s deeply unique perspective on race relations in a post-slave trade England. I would think that the children of slaves and slave owners would still be considered slaves, or would at least be shunned by their white parents. For Olivia to be a mixed woman of slave descent inheriting such a large dowry and marrying into a wealthy English family was something that immediately caught me off guard in reading this book. It is interesting to note how Olivia shares the same doubts that most readers probably have when reading this book as she says, “My manners, my pursuits, my whole deportment, may be strange and disagreeable to him who I have pledged myself to receive as a husband… my person may disgust him.” (Page 59). Olivia is just as aware as the reader of how odd this whole arrangement is, which was something that compelled me to continue reading.
I am really enjoying “The Woman of Colour” so far. I am surprised how much I enjoy the epistolary-style of the book as well considering it is the first novel I have read where there is strictly letters that make up the book. I thought Hall’s essay was a good way, in addition to the introduction in the Broadview edition to get a better understanding of the time period and what the novel would be surrounded with. One of the most fascinating aspects of Hall’s essay, “Persons Outside the Law” was the mention of the 1773 decision that “any person with less than 1/8 African ancestry automatically was considered white in the eyes of the law”. This section of the essay resonated with me especially when reading in the earlier part of “The Woman of Colour”, once Olivia gets off the ship to meet the Merton’s. The encounter she first has when meeting both Mr. and Mrs.Merton was what was most interesting and made me begin to think about how woman such as Olivia are viewed, not only under law. Mr. Merton is said to have “no prejudices; he held me to his breast, pressed his lips on my cheek…” while Mrs. Merton is said to have had a completely different reaction. Olivia describes the scene in great detail stating, “I believe I held out my hand, and that lady was very near taking it in hers; but I fancy its colour disgusted her, for she recoiled a few paces with a blended curtsey and shrug, and simpering, threw herself on a sofa”(Pg. 71-72). First, the distinction between the two gender’s responses is something I plan to look at more closely at as the book continues but also the way the author is describing this scene, using the word “simpering” for example, I think is an incredibly descriptive and vivid way of showcasing how disgusted this woman was touching the hand of another who’s skin colour is different. I think the gender aspect and the attitude of women in this novel is going to be especially intriguing to continue reading about.
“The Woman of Color” paints a picture of Browns and Whites, as does Catherine Hall’s essay “Person Outside the Law.” Colonialism in the west indies inevitably led to the explosion of a mixed-race population, one that had both opportunity and potential power. In Hall’s essay, she says that “elite ‘coloured’ or ‘brown’ boys and girls were sent to England or Scotland to be educated,” which led to improved prospects both on the islands where they were born and possibly overseas. It is this education, this preference, that we see in “The Woman of Color’s” main character, Olivia Fairfield. Olivia is a woman of color, born of a white father and a black enslaved mother. Her father educated her, raised her as his own until his death, and even arranged a marriage for her, so that she would be well cared for either a wife or as a ward. Because of this, even though she knows she is discriminated against, she still speaks up for herself. In what is possibly the most satisfying scene, she tells her cousins’ son “you will be surprised when I tell you that mine is quite as clean as your own, and that the black woman’s below, is as clean as either of them,” (78) when he calls her handmaiden dirty because of her black skin. She also tells him that “the same God that made you made me,” (79). She is not afraid of confrontation and takes the opportunity to defend herself and educate those around her who are willing to listen and to learn. Olivia also stands as an almost direct contrast to Austen’s Fanny Price, whose lower class has made her timid. Between the two, class is what triumphs, not race, as even though Olivia is a “mulatto”, she was raised a certain way, as the daughter of a high class man, and that enabled her to be almost—but not quite—on equal status with the Mertons. She is not timid in her judgements or her defense, and feels comfortable speaking her mind.
I have to say, I am surprised at how much I am enjoying this novel. It is similar to other Jane Austen novel in its intense focus on marriage and romantic relationships. However, the additional conflicts sprinkled within the novel separates it from the problems in Austen’s novels. The problem of Olivia being mixed race, the daughter of a slave, and forced to marry her white cousin, Augustus, are definitely different than those Austen’s characters find themselves facing. While the importance of marriages and money are extremely important here, they just feel different and have captured my interest in a different way where I almost don’t want to put down the book.
Catherine Hall describes one situation perfectly: “His mother was left with the responsibility for his illegitimate children and their schooling. Her attitude to them gradually softened and she was keen to ensure they received a decent education. But at the same time they should not harbour ambitions above their station: they must know their place, know their inferiority, know that their colour would always count against them. The ‘moonlight shades’ could not expect good marriages or genteel occupations.” This idea of “knowing your place” it was enforced racism in society for so long and this concept arises in for Olivia throughout the novel. Racism and especially colorist come up at all times throughout the novel. At one point, George tells Olivia, “Why, I should not so much mind if you were to kiss me, for your lips are red, and besides, your face is not so very, very dirty” (78). The implication here is the darker someone’s skin tone, the “dirtier” they are. In an important moment, Olivia responds to him “I am glad it does not look so very dirty, but you will be surprised when I tell you that mine is quite as clean as your own, and that the black woman’s below, is as clean as either of them” (79). Problems like these continue to face Olivia, just not as innocently as from George.
So far, The Woman in Color is very promising. The premise alone is very much captivating and intriguing. It reminds me of a film called 12 Years of a Slave not just because they tackle similar subject matter, but also because of the novel’s use of letters to deliver character development and important plot details. Olivia’s plight so far is similar to something one might read in a Jane Austen novel, especially Emma. They both carry elements of marriage and characters who are roped into situations surrounding it. But Catherine Hall’s essay does give us a better understanding of the backdrop of the story. At the point in time, slavery was alive and well. Which spells trouble for an outspoken character like Olivia which is something I really like about her. It makes me feel really bad given her current situation. But the essay also establishes the fact that African women marrying their slave owners wasn’t uncommon. It’s an uncomfortable fact that I think the story does a good job of addressing by giving us letters and an unapologetic view into slavery. I’m looking forward to reading the rest, but I know in the back of my mind that this is going to be a more intense and personal story than the previous Jane Austen books because of the subject matter alone. If it’s anything like the previous stories that I’ve read the concerning slavery or of the many documentaries that I have experience I know I’m in for something very emotional and very tearjerking.
“…whiteness, initially constructed as a form of racial identity, evolved into a form of property…” (C. Harris, p. 1709)
After reading the article by Catherine Hall, “Persons outside the law,” where she talks about historical accounts of the social, political, psychological truths of slavery in Britain as well as the unexpected children that were effected by the system, the book “The Woman of Colour: A Tale” by Jane Austen, seems very realistic, in the sense that it feels as if Austen is actually depicting the real story of a mixed raced woman. It feels a little like the movie “The Help” where a white, young writer, writes the real-life stories of black servants in a book that, when published, the author was “anonymous”.
In the book, Olivia is the child of Mr. Fairfield and a slave that he owned. Mr. Fairfield, however, like the families that “Livesay” tracks and are talked about in Hall’s article, actually cared, even loved his child. Mr. Fairfield, in trying to give Olivia the best chance at good living in their world, he decided to educate her, arrange an advantageous marriage with his cousin, Augustus, and promise her husband her dowry.
Yet, for Olivia, the education that her father gave her only made her suffer more. “WAS my mind in any other state…” (56) she begins, as she explains that if she was not aware of the reality of her existence, and the awkward, changing, place children like her have in society, she could have enjoyed the trip. In page 58, Olivia talks about how often marriage between a mixed child and white man was actually unsuccessfully and bad, mostly for the woman. She was aware of the risk that Augustus may reject her, “…my person may disgust him.” Overall, she found the fact that she had to go and be exposed to possible ill-treatment of Augustus and of society made her feel humiliated.
The concept of mixed children being a subject to social and political mistreatment and humiliation was repeated throughout Hall’s article because mixed raced children, like Austen’s Olivia, were viewed as “…an infringement of the social and racial order, indeed an attack on it.” The historical accounts of the article and the very realistic life account of Olivia in Austen’s book help explain how when Britain’s flawed economic system of slavery, as well as the lifestyle of white political power, were being attacked by the shocking outcome of the system itself, mixed race children, Imperial Britain (as well as American actually) turned the term “white” into property, and in turning it into property they elongated their influence and power in society over those who could not “own” the term.
So far I really like the book, although it is a harsh story depicting a topic that was only lightly touched in other books that we’ve read this semester, I am looking forward to finishing it and I am hoping that Austen does not disappoint in the Romance angle of the book too. I am hoping for a happy ending, in the book and for 2020.
-The beginning quote is from C. Harris’ essay, “Whiteness as Property”
I have enjoyed reading The Woman of Colour, especially in seeing thematic parallels to Austen’s works. Much like Austen’s novels, the protagonist is a female who, like Emma, is dealing with the idea and subjection of marriage. What is dissimilar about Austen’s heroines, like Emma, and The Woman of Colour’s protagonist, Olivia, is their family dynamics and racial heritage. I found these differentiating perspectives, of two female protagonists who seem to have completely different backgrounds but experience similar fates and feelings toward marriage and womanhood, to be eye-opening. Apart from Austen’s novels influencing my reading of The Woman of Colour, I found the essay Persons outside the Law, by Catherine Hall, especially enlightening.
Although Hall’s essay is based on an entirely different historical story, her analysis of a mixed-race family during the 1800s establishes a very realistic approach to how mix raced women, men and children were treated during the time The Woman of Colour was written. Olivia, a child born of a slave owner father and slave mother was treated much like the Williams children were. In the essay, the children were referred to by their grandmother as the ‘moonlight shades’ in refusal to call them by their given names. Hall says, “The ‘moonlight shades’ and their mother stand for the women, black and brown, whose near invisibility, yet absolute centrality to the system of slavery, speak to the silences of the archive and the work of recovery that remains to be done (Hall).” This statement, I think, embodies exactly what the anonymous author of The Woman of Colour was trying to express. I think the novel represents and clearly portrays a time swelled by sexism and racism.