Feminist versus interpersonal power theories of wife abuse revisited

The fiction of Samuel Richardson is not fundamentally humourless. This article analyzes the rich vein of humour found in Pamela in her Exalted Condition (1745) and The History of Sir Charles Grandison (1753–54) to show that Richardson was acutely aware of the interpersonal power of laughter and that he harnessed it for aesthetic and moral ends. Novelistic scenes of spontaneous conversation dramatize the various and often embodied effects of humorous performances. Using theories of gender and humour, I argue that Richardson critiques and modifies Restoration wit by using women’s raillery as the primary vehicle for novelistic humour. Richardsonian fiction thus feminizes the domineering tendencies of masculine wit and the adversarial harms of ridicule, replacing them with chaste female models of “satirical merriment.” Such pleasure does not equate to liberation or even subversion. Through Pamela and Charlotte Grandison, the novels generate a heteropessimist humour in which women’s dynamic wit ultimately promotes their marital subordination to flawed, disappointing men.

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Prevention of Wife Abuse

Handbook of Family Violence ◽

10.1007/978-1-4757-5360-8_14 ◽

1988 ◽

pp. 319-358 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Andrea J. Sedlak

Keyword(s):

Wife Abuse

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Psychological Abuse among College Women in Dating Relationships

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.1989.69.3f.1283 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 69 (3_suppl) ◽

pp. 1283-1297 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Beth Raymond ◽

Irene Gillman Bruschi

Keyword(s):

College Women ◽

Young Women ◽

Psychological Abuse ◽

Wife Abuse ◽

Dating Relationships ◽

Courtship Violence ◽

And Behaviors ◽

Negative Relationships

A questionnaire designed to measure psychological abuse and kindness was responded to by 90 college women involved in dating relationships. Analysis indicated that, while many relationships were low abuse/high kindness, a substantial number were characterized by high abuse/low kindness, high abuse/high kindness and low abuse/low kindness. An analysis of these different categories of dating relationships as well as explanations as to why young women should be in such negative relationships are included. The study also indicated significant differences between women's reports of feelings and behaviors. Finally, a comparison of past versus present relationships showed proportionately few significant differences in behaviors but many significant differences in feelings. The major finding, that some college women are in dating relationships characterized by psychological abuse, was explored, and comparisons to the literature on wife abuse and courtship violence were also included.

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