of Date Reading: September 16, 2007 Title: The Ladys Dressing Room Name of the Author: Jonathan Swift Date of Writing: September 17, 2009 Country of Origin: Ireland Synopsis: Main Idea: The topic of the poem is just what the title says: he's describing what happens in a lady's dressing room. However, the first lines signal the satirical approach: five hours to get ready? This is hammered home by the evocation of a goddess, as if the women were divine, an image Swift then contrasts with both agricultural byproducts (dung, hard work, smell) and a kind of industrial production. He's saying how much work it is to make women beautiful, and how disgusting the work behind the scenes is. Main Characters/Characteristics:
1. Celia is the protagonist of the poem, who may be lovely in public, but in private
she is pretty much a disgusting pig.
2. Strephon is Celias other half who is morbidly shocked by the lack of hygiene
in Celias dressing room.
3. Betty is Celias maidservant.
Authors position towards main characters: Although patriarchy was still dominant in the Restoration era, women were gaining power and independence; men were feeling insecure and threatened. Rapid economic growth of the Restoration era brought about social changes as well as re-evaluation of the role of women and the relationship between the sexes. This lead to the growth of antifeminist, chauvinistic literature aimed at putting women in their place protecting and men from the influence of feminists. Type of Writing: Satirical-depends on shock tactics. The poem can be understood as a satire, or even a parody compared to the glorification of women in other traditional literary genres. The text with its predominant use of various styles of irony becomes a provocative mockery: the woman is turned into a ridiculous figure. The fact a ladys dressing room should remain a private matter which no men- especially an admirer-should ever enter, gives the poem a controversial intonation. Personal Responses:
1. I thought the satire was notoriously filthy. The words definitely describe a
womans true vulgarity behind closed doors in relation to cleanliness and hygiene.
2. I felt the work done behind the scenes was disgusting and yet women still found it
amusing.
3. Swift was not afraid to expose an individuals vices with irony.
Questions for Class Discussion:
1. What was Swifts tone?
Verbal Irony
2. What is Swift satirizing?
The hygiene of women or lack thereof.
3. How is it a satire?
The purpose of a satire is not primarily humor in itself so much as an attack on something of which the author strongly disapproves, using the weapon of wit. Swift proves this with his use of wit to attack womens vices, in this case the idea of perfection. He believes that women do not have to portray themselves as porcelain dolls to be beautiful, maybe natural beauty is true.