Marc Parroquin Professor Lamberton Rhetoric 370 Final Paper A comparison between Amy Levy and her representation

of Xantippe Amy Levy was born into an England fraught with struggles of peoples

marginalized by a hegemonic English aristocracy. A certain sense of entitlement pervades the Anglican school of thought during the Victorian era as the English considered themselves in general to be the peak of the human condition, but religious differences and class struggles led to much debate regarding the standards by which the identity of England should be measured. Education became a means of social advancement, but religious discrimination and sexism still pervaded English culture. As a Jewish woman, Levys case presents an interesting combination of two distinct groups marginalized by this aristocracy. Xantippe: A Fragment is an autobiographical account of the wife of Socrates as she recounts the events that led to her utter disdain for her husband, and though was written very early on in her writing career, her awareness of the womens expected role in society, as well as the Anti-Semitic views expressed by the general public, provides incredible insight into the struggles of her isolation from a vast majority of the population. After considering the pervading mentalities of Britain regarding poetry, Jewish assimilation, and women, Xantippe will prove to be a startlingly accurate literary representation of the frustration and anxiety faced by Levy throughout her life due the Christian hegemony that pervaded Victorian culture. According to Cynthia Scheinberg, English Department Chair of Mills College,

Christian ideals dened literary identity in Victorian England (Scheinberg 173). Scheinberg uses Matthew Arnold, one of the most respected and well published voices

during the Victoria era as example of how Christianity based conversionist rhetoric dened poetic identity when considering the prevalence of the patterns found in Romantic equation of the poet as a prophet to which Arnolds criticism of poetry was so strongly tied. This model operates on an assumption that the (male) prophet speaks to a community with whom he shares a certain set of beliefs or assumptions, [which]... precludes the notion that the prophet speaks to a heterogeneous community. Or if he does speak to difference, his job is to transform that difference into sameness,to create a community of followers who share a set of universal goals (Scheinberg 177). The method in which Arnold lauds William Wordsworth for his poetry reects this mentality greatly, especially where he states: the source of joy from which he thus draws is the truest and most unfailing source of joy accessible to man. It is also accessible universally... Wordsworth tells of what all seek, and tells of it at its truest and best source, and yet a source where all may go and draw for it (Scheinberg 176). Scheinbergs juxtaposition of Arnolds assertion that religion says: kingdom of

God is within you, and culture, in like manner, places human perfection in an internal condition, in the growth and predominance of our humanity proper, as distinguished from our animality (Scheinberg176) with review of Wordsworth provides a link between poetic value and his view of the moral code of society, which completely overlooks nonChristian belief systems. When coupled with his examination of Heinrich Heine, a Jewish German author who converted to Christianity, the underlying anti-semitic sentiment that pervaded literary criticism in England becomes very apparent. Although Arnold applauds Heines ability to write in accordance to the so called universal truths held so highly by the Romantic paradigm, he still chose to focus on Heines jewishness

from a racial aspect and undermined his work by accusing him of moral insufciencies that mirrored negative anti-semitic stereotypes in England (Scheinberg 187). These implications place any poet outside the demographic of a male, Christian at odds with this dominant ideology exemplied by Arnold. Amy Levy completely contradicts this ideology in her interpretation of poetry,

exemplied by her praise of James Thomson, where she refers to him a prophet, standing above and outside things to whom all sides of a truth (more or less foreshortened, certainly) are visible; but a passionately subjective being with intense eyes xed on one side of the solid polygon of truth, realizing that one side with a fervor and intensity to which the philosopher with his birds-eye view rarely attains (Scheinberg 179). The subjectivity mentioned by Levy represents a strong contrast to Arnolds view of poetry, as the constraints of catering to a universal audience are forgone for the sake of allowing more personal experience to shine through their work. Thomsons inuence may in fact be one of the main reasons she chose Xantippe in particular as a voice for intelligent women in Victorian England. In an essay entitled A Word for Xantippe, Thomson who not only relates the relationship Socrates and Xantippe to current standards of spousal conduct, empathizing with Xantippe who was neglected in the relationship, but also directly implores George Eliot to provide a more balanced picture of their relationship stating: We have perhaps one living writer with genius and learning and wisdom and fairness enough to picture fairly the conjugal life of Saint Socrates and shrew Xantippe: need I say that this writer is George Eliot? One would give something for the picture (Weisman). Levys use of Xantippe could very well be in order to pay homage to the poet she admired so much.

The opening lines reveal that Xantippe is close to death, and according to Karen

Weisman, associate professor of English from the University of Toronto, undercurrents of suicidal tendencies seem to pervade the rst 11 lines (60 Weisman). Levys references to the lamp of life burning low, and her statement that In this last hour,now all should be at peace denote very frankly that Xantippe is close to death, found in lines 4 and 11 respectively. Weisman contends that Xantippe is attempting suicide based on the subtle changes in rhetoric and her need for peace in her nal hour, stating oft have I chidden, yet I would not chide in this last hour (61 Weisman). Though the obvious parallel that could be made between Levys own suicide and the possibility that Xantippe is suicidal would be interesting to explore, more important is the connection Levy makes to the pervasive Victorian mentality that Xantippe was a nagging, old shrew of a woman. Linda Hughes from Texas Christian University outlines the article found in the June 26, 1875 issue of Good Things for the Young of All Ages, which depicts a scene strikingly similar to the scene of Xantippes outburst found in lines 143-222. The accompanying description refers to Xantippe as reportedly being a terrible scold, noisy, and ill-tempered. The article does concede that Perhaps, after all, she was not as bad as she is made out to be, but subsequently dismisses any historical importance she may have had by stating At all events we would rather learn about Socrates than about her, poor stupid woman (Hughes 270). As Good Things for the Young of All Ages was a magazine directed at children, Hughes contends that it is an extension of the common interpretation of her character. When taking into consideration this perception of Xantippe in British culture,

Levys choice of Xantippe provides a voice to woman who was obviously unhappy, but

unable to voice her opinions, but when coupled with Levys interpretation of Thomsons work, Xantippe becomes not only a symbol for female empowerment, but also represents the unique perspective that Levy had a Jewish woman. I believe that Levys attempt to rebuild Xantippes negative reputation represents a rejection of these widespread perceptions of Xantippe found throughout Victorian literature, which in turn can be viewed as a rejection of the hold Christian ideals maintained over the criticism of poetry. Levys earlier sentiments which designated poetry as a manifestation of the side of a truth experienced by the poet can now be applied to her representation of Xantippe, and in particular her complete isolation from those around her. Xantippe thus becomes the perfect vessel for Levy to voice the unhappiness of

intelligent women, and particularly a Jewish one, within Victorian society. In lines 32-37, Xantippe describes her ambitions prior to marriage:
What cared I for the merry mockeries Of other maidens sitting at the loom ? Or for sharp voices, bidding me return To maiden labour ? Were we not apart, I and my high thoughts, and my golden dreams, My soul which yearned for knowledge, for a tongue

Levy is very pointedly denoting disdain with at the expectations of her sex. Sitting at the loom can be considered a metaphor for the homemakers duties expected of women within Victorian England, but more important are the activities she associates with it. The antiquated denition of the word mockery found in the Oxford Dictionary states a mockery to be a ludicrously futile action while sharp voices should be interpreted as the still very prevalent patriarchal social constructs that did not agree with the intellectual cultivation of women because it would detract from maiden labor. , which obviously impede Xantippes thirst for knowledge, and would resist the idea of an

intelligent Jewish woman voicing her opinion. The description of period following her awareness that these thoughts further separated her from her peers. The use of the word sinning in particular promotes the strong religious connotations that can be found throughout Xantippe, because her questioning of the established roles questions the established dominance of Christianity as the moral compass of England. The importance Levy places on the uniqueness of gems compared to shells

shows both the importance placed on uniqueness, but also on the importance of characteristics that transcend supercial attraction, such as a strong identity. With Socrates in particular, she makes it very clear that he is not attractive physically, as her rst reaction to his face was marked by quick repulsion at the shape (60). However, in her analogy of shells and gems, she likens the positive qualities that Socrates has, such as his great voice, whose cunning modulations seemed like to the notes of some sweet instrument to a gem worth keeping (83-84). His voice in particular would hold very high priority for both Xantippe and Levy, as both are subjugated to the whims of societies that do not fully comprehend their unique perspectives. The symbol of the voice or the tongue is especially important because they represent an extension of that persons identity within society because they provide a method to share their identity. Linda Hunt Beckmans biography concludes that Xantippe predates her years at Newnham, and Hughes equates the writing of Xantippe to Levys plea for acceptance among the learned, which would support my assertion that the gem/soul is a metaphor for identity because Xantippes marriage to Socrates represented a change in her identity similarly to the way Levy hoped attending university would create more positive identity that transcended the negative jewish stereotypes (260 Hughes). As the gure Socrates

represents is intrinsically linked to the intellectual advancement of the society, Xantippe views him as an opportunity to grow intellectually similarly to the way Levy must have viewed attending the University. Though I agree with Hughes, I believe that the relationship between Socrates

and Xantippe more strongly represents the frustration with the conicts of identity Levy found from being an educated jewish woman. Socrates obviously represents the peak of intellectual development within the context of the poem, but he can also be made to represent the challenges Levy faced in academia.
So did I reach and strain, until at last I caught the soul athwart the grosser esh. Again of thee, sweet Hope, my spirit dreamed ! I, guided by his wisdom and his love, Led by his words, and counselled by his care, Should lift the shrouding veil from things which be,

In the lines 85-90, Xantippe describes the unfullled expectations she held for her marriage. The words reach and strain imply a struggle, though it is unclear for what until the nal line, where she expects him to lift the shrouding veil from things which be. Two potential scenarios exist with Levys use of the veil, and I believe both are very pertinent to Levys unique situation. Either the veil is meant as a means to hide her, a barrier to the outside world which keeps outsiders from acknowledging her or it is meant as a means of obscuring the way she looks at the world, implying that she has only seen distorted views of the real world, ltered through the metaphorical cloth. The importance of Socrates for Xantippe lies in her hope that he will offer her freedom from the gender roles which overshadow her, and ultimately hide her identity, as well as increase her knowledge of the world. It holds similar signicance in the context of education for Levy because its importance now increases when becomes a means of

removing the barrier between her and the intellectual elite through formal recognition of her academic achievement, but also becomes a way for her create a more holistic view of the world. The most profound shared similarity between Levy and Xantippe stems from

each societys refusal to acknowledge the capability of each woman. Levy nds herself isolated in English Society, already a rarity as an educated woman, but when coupled with the pervasive negative mentalities regarding Jewish people, her jewishness would label her inferior to her peers of non-jewish origin. Socrates refusal to acknowledge her anything more than a household object though he acknowledges the intelligence of Aspasia represents a clear disdain Levy holds for the Romantic paradigms that dictated poetic analysis. Her frustration can obviously be linked to appraisal of female writers of non-jewish origin who received acceptance, whereas like Xantippe she strove to win the heart of English audiences like some slight bird, who sings her burning love to human master, till at length she nds her tender language wholly misconceived (135-139). Weisman further supports the prevalence of her frustration being inuenced by Levys frustrations by arguing that Xantippes outburst complies to the stereotypes of a nervous Jew found in Victorian England (Weisman 76). The nal blow to Xantippe is the response of Socrates, who asks I thank thee for the wisdom which thy lips have thus let fall among us: prythee tell from what high source, from what philosophies didst cull the sapient notion of thy words? (205-210). With the prevalent ideologies exemplied by Arnold discussed earlier, Socrates response becomes a form of dismissing the inherent ability of Xantippe similarly to the way hegemonic Christian ideologies dismissed the value that other religions could hold.

Xantippe soon thereafter curses from her inmost heart, the fates that marked

[her] and Athenian maid which parallels the themes of Jewish self loathing found throughout much of Levys work (232-233). Levy stated later on in her career that for Jewish women, marriage is the one aim and end of her existence (Beckman 194). For Xantippe, this becomes exactly that. Unsatised with her situation prior to meeting Socrates, she views marriage as Socrates as a means of self improvement, but it ultimately leads to her losing her identity and accepting the roles she previously refused. Socrates in this context becomes the dominant ideologies of Britain that did not allow for opposing value systems. In an essay chronicling Victorian Anglo-Jewish History, Nadia Valman contends that within the jewish community that: [t]he elite had internalized British cultural values and their literature thus reproduced and ambivalent Jewish identity [which] was the outcome of an emancipation process where Jews had to meet the expectations of gentiles (Valman 241). This internalization of British values represented a loss of identity to Levy and she represents this internalization through the loom, the action described earlier in the poem as a ludicrously futile action. Xantippes resignation shows a very bitter acceptance of Socrates will: He wished a household vessel-well twas good, for he should have it! He should have no more the yearning treasure of a womans love, but just the baser treasure which he sought. I called my maidens, ordered out the loom (237-241). Though more specically related to gender, Xantippes earlier sentiments depicting Socrates as indifferent to her passions and identity, and how he deigned not to stoop to touch so slight a thing as the ne fabric of a womans brain- so subtle as a passionate womans soul, can also be viewed as a

representation of the indifference shown towards jewish people in general by the hegemonic Christian inuence (118-120). The role Xantippe ultimately plays is the woman whose quest for identity and self

betterment leads to her isolation from all of those around her, and though the obvious implications in feminist empowerment through education, her character transcends the hardships faced by the female realm of academia and has a very strong tie to Levys experience as a Jewish woman in Victorian England. Several aspects must be taken into account in order to provide a comprehensive view of the character of Xantippe. The analysis of Levys opposing viewpoints regarding the role of the poet in society, her admiration for James Thomson, social issues that both women and jews faced, and pervasive mentalities of Victorian literary culture all support my view that Xantippe is an extension of Levy and the difculties she faced in her unique position as a Jewish woman.

Works Cited
Beckham, Linda Hunt. The Tribal Duckpond: Amy Levy. Jewish Self-Hatred, and Jewish Identity. Victorian Literature and Culture, Vol. 27, No. 1 (1999), pp. 185-201. Cambridge University Press. 20 April 2011. Hughes, Linda K. Discoursing of Xantippe: Amy Levy, Classical scholarship, and Print Culture. Philological Quarterly. pp. 259-275. University of Iowa Press. 1 May 2011 Scheinberg, Cynthia. Canonizing the Jew: Amy Levys Challenge to Victorian Poetic Identity. Victorian Studies, Vol. 39, No. 2 (Winter, 1996), pp. 173-200. Indiana University Press. 23 April 2011. Valman, Nadia. Semitism and Criticism: Victorian Anglo-Jewish Literary History. Victorian Literature and Culture, Vol. 27, No. 1 (1999), pp. 235-248. Cambridge University Press. 20 April 2011 Weisman, Karen. Playing with Figures: Amy Levy and the Forms of Cancellation. Criticism, Volume 43, Number 1, Winter 2001 pp. 59-79. 1 May 2011