Samantha Poole

Professor Lisa Kasmer

English 260

May 3, 2016

Reflections on the Editing Process

The experience of editing A Serious Proposal for Promoting Lawful and Honourable Marriage addressed to the Unmarried, of Both Sexes by Cother, E. was surreal in all of the questions the document raised. Questions such as: was it truly necessary to have a book explaining how to propose and “promote” a lawful marriage? Could this book be considered a conduct book on marriage and proposing? Did citizens of London actually read this book in search of guidance? These questions along with many others were persistently buzzing through my head while I was editing and reading the piece.

An aspect that I found to be quite interesting about the text was the necessity of the text during the time period. The text made me reflect and think a lot more about the type of culture it was published in, and made me realize that A Serious Proposal for Promoting Lawful and Honourable Marriage addressed to the Unmarried, of Both Sexes was published during the same time conduct books were exceedingly popular. With this in mind the document helped me infer that it was published in a society that needed strict social guidelines, whether it be how to act in certain company as a male or female, or merely how to act in order to “promote a lawful marriage”. This realization helped me reflect on the amount of social constructs which almost demanded to be present in each citizen’s life. Reading Cother’s text helped me understand the inescapable amount of pressure placed on an individual in the eighteenth century, pressures to act in a certain manner with certain members of society, the pressure for women to be considered beautiful and virtuous, and the pressures associated with marriage in that marriage was seen as an economic move, meant to better one’s wealth and social standing.

Another aspect of the piece by Cother which was quite intriguing was The Articles which start on page 35 which explains a proposed two offices to be set at “two different parts of the city”, one a “ladies office” and one a “gentlemen’s office” (Cother 35). Cother explains that this separation is meant “to avoid, as much as possible, all impertinent curiosity of either Sex” (36). Then proceeds to explain in detail that each office will have their own register, their own books, etc. to be kept separate at all times. This strange circumstance Cother brings up highlights the anxieties which existed in the 18th century towards sexuality, to the extent that as Cother illustrates both sexes were not supposed to be in the same office space due to the chance of “curiosity of either Sex”. I didn’t find Cother’s explanation of this issue of the anxieties of sexuality surprising; however I found it remarkable in the insight it lends its reader. Cother inconspicuously explains in his articles starting on page 35 the real fears patriarchal eighteenth century British society had concerning women’s bodies. The beginning of the Articles is definitely extraordinary in that it explains the thought process of the patriarchy when faced with the thought of women possibly gaining the right to work in such an office, that thought being separation of the sexes is absolutely essential for any office properly function. The male anxieties expressed in such a short part of Cother’s text explains not only the mindset and thoughts of the patriarchal society but also the abnormality of women working during the 18th century, a time in which men were the sole providers of their families. Cother suggests that breaking the domestic and public spheres cannot be so simple as merely allowing women into the male dominated public sphere but created a women’s public sphere, separate as to not distract or instill “curiosity” into the male population. The necessity of creating another separate public sphere for women is interesting in that through Cother’s allusion to this need for gender binary’s in the work place he is explaining the anxieties associated with the differences in the female body which serve as a distraction and may disrupt the productivity of any given office.

Overall, A Serious Proposal for Promoting Lawful and Honourable Marriage addressed to the Unmarried, of Both Sexes by E. Cother serves as a source of insight into the anxieties associated with women and the separation of the spheres while also illuminating the process of proposing marriage in the 18th century. Cother’s work also provides us with question to modern day issues such as the anxieties still associated with the female body today, perhaps we in the 21st century have a different outlook on sexuality and “curiosity” associated with both the male and female body. The topics of anxiety and sexuality addressed by Cother are so incredibly relevant to both the 18th century and the 21st century, this amazing connection through Cother’s written work allows us insight into the societal norms and construct, as well as the anxieties associated with the separation of spheres, a problem we still face today in that women don’t have equal pay and are typically expected to work in areas which have been traditionally “feminized”.

Works Cited

Cother, E. "A Serious Proposal for Promoting Lawful and Honourable Marriage Addressed to the Unmarried, of Both Sexes." Editorial. 18th Connect. TypeWright, n.d. Web.