Women In Anna Barbauld's Washing Day

When looking at various literary works of a specific era, it is very possible to find overlapping and similar philosophies. The writings and poems of the Romantic period are a testament to that notion. Moreover, similar themes or ideas found in multiple works allows for a reader to recognize the standards or ethics of the time and how the society would function. A very popular topic of writing pertained the role of a woman. With an emphasis on feeling and reflection, the Romantic Period is often appreciated as a reaction to the Age of Enlightenment's desire to acquire knowledge. The expectations for women during the Romantic period were often small or nonexistent due the poor perception of female capability. The societal view of a woman was …show more content…
The gender outlooks of this time inspired author Anna Barbauld to share her voice and go against the conventional. In Barbauld’s poem, “Washing Day”, two different vantage points illustrate a typical working day for a lower-class woman. By the use of two different perceptions, one could make a relevant connection to the work of William Blake. Blake’s works, “Songs of Innocence” and “Songs of Experience” strongly correlate with the changing perception that comes with age and knowledge of the female reality. “Washing Day” also correlates to the infamous piece, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft, with the encouragement to want more. The Romantic literary pieces, “Washing Day”, “Songs of Innocence”, “Songs of Experience”, and A Vindication of the Rights of Woman are significant and inter-dependent on each other to convey the unjust beliefs for a woman during this time and to complicate the set canonical standards from differing points of …show more content…
In comparison, both literary pieces have a strong tone of melancholy. One could infer that the tones are indicative of their unhappiness with the social ills. The strongest connection between A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is both author’s disapproval of the societal expectations and their want to complicate and point out the injustice in the Romantic norms. The defined etiquette, passions and work deemed acceptable for men was not the same standard for women. For example, by definition, a muse is “a person or personified force who is the source of inspiration for a creative artist”. In the opening line of “Washing Day” it states, “The Muses are turned gossips” (Barbauld, line 1). This immediately creates a negative tone in the poem. Muses, rather inspirations, are usually regarded as good, uplifting and positive attributes to one’s life. However; in “Washing Day”, it is conveyed that muses are generally thought of as a bad thing. Barbauld is making the statement that during this time, men were usually pushed and encouraged to pursue their passions and the mere thought of a woman doing so is deemed an unattainable, absurd idea. This assertion coincides with Wollstonecraft when she writes, “…considering females rather as women than human creature, have been more anxious to make them alluring mistresses than