The Credibility Of Ecstasy In Jane Austen's Canto I

In Canto I, Belinda dreams her glitt’ring youth is whispering in her ear about the different creatures which protect her from the errs of human nature. With such demanding societal pressures, Belinda’s unconscious may be attempting to find comfort in the belief that there are outside powers that control the good and bad. There is comfort in having someone – or something (ie the Gnomes and Salamanders) to blame. The latent content may be that Belinda is afraid of death, so her unconscious mind creates a world in which women like herself become air sprites, and are able to continue in the fanciful life she lives after death. This fear of death often represents a fear of intimacy as well. Therefore, Belinda feels safe having dreams about male youths (or in writing letters, because that too is a medium), but in her worldly experience of losing her hair, she experiences fear because it was such an intimate moment with a real man. …show more content…
In Canto II, we learn that the Baron has had previous lovers: “There lay three garters, half a pair of gloves; / And all the trophies of his former loves. / With tender Billet-doux he lights the Pyre” (Pope 39-41). The Baron enjoys collecting trophies; signs of his failed relationships. Could it be possible that the Baron experienced a negative psychological experience – possibly sexual – and now his fear of intimacy manifests itself into having control over another’s possessions, which were taken by force?
He keeps physical items (garments) and burns the love letters (which are more emotionally intimate). By taking what is taboo (maybe not the gloves, though it could be significant that there is only half of a pair), the Baron might be suffering from castration envy. Is he afraid of the female power (or more rejection) that he attempts at humiliating them before they have the chance to emasculate