LITR 4231 Early American Literature Sample Research Posts 2014 (research post assignment) Research Post 2

Brenda Trejo

April 19, 2014.

SUSANNA HASWELL-ROWSON

In this course we have learned the differences between women authors from men authors; they show more emotions so that they appear more realistic. Their stories have a different way of putting things in perspective. Theirs are more sentimental and romantic, which attracted a bigger women's audience. That does not mean that their stories did not attract male readers; it is just that this was not a feature the women had. Women were caregivers and governesses of their homes; their duty was the household and children. If a house did not run smoothly the man had to step in, which meant that women had failed as housewives and that was an embarrassment. Sadly, women rarely had things to do other than the house chores, so they needed a distraction. These were some of things that they could do: knitting, playing instruments, reading and writing. This is one of the things that Susanna Haswell-Rowson accomplished and luckily for us she has taught us valuable lessons from her novels.

She was unfortunate to have lost her mother Susanna Musgrave, just 10 days after she was born in Portsmouth, England in 1762. Her father, Navy Lieutenant William Haswell later remarried Rachel Woodward, when she was around four years old; this marriage gave Rowson two half-brothers. Haswell-Rowson was well-educated and for pleasure she read authors like Virgil, Homer, and Shakespeare. Lieutenant Haswell did not change sides with the Americans during the Revolutionary War. Luckily, the family was able to live from the assistance of others, when they lost their possessions. This was such a troublesome time for the family that Susanna got a job.

Susanna, named after her mother, married a man named William, like her father. William Rowson was a hardware merchant who had an illegitimate son. They did not have any biological children together. William was the one who signed her contracts even though he did not actually do anything. This was due to the regulations in those times, which stated that women were unable to have any possessions under their name. They were forced to return to the theatre due to bankruptcy. They even opened their own theatre in Boston three years later.

Haswell-Rowson became an actress, playwright, poet and novelist. She was also the founder of the Young Ladies Academy, an all-girl school, which she wrote textbooks for. The following are novels and plays Susanna Haswell-Rowson wrote: Victoria, A Trip to Parnassus, Charlotte Temple: A Tale of Truth, Rebecca, or the Fille de Chambre, Trials of the Human Heart, Reuben and Rachel, Sarah, the Exemplary Wife, Slaves in Algiers, or A Struggle  for Freedom, The Volunteer, The Female Patriot, and Americans in England. The last time Rowson was on stage was in 1797. In that same year she founded an all-girls school which offered academic and refinement training. One of the textbooks she wrote was Youth’s first Step in Geography. She continued to work while she was running the school. For three years she was the editor of The Boston Weekly Magazine. In her will Haswell-Rowson left the school to her niece around 1822.

From Haswell-Rowson’s book, Charlotte Temple, we can learn how young women are vulnerable to seduction and betrayal, until they finally feel remorse—that is if they are capable of doing so. The moral of the story is think before you act, for the choices you make may have horrible consequences which will only lead to pain, sadness or even death. This story sold well in England, but it did much better in America. During 1794, it was the best seller. This story also has some similarities in Haswell-Rowson real life, such as a mother dying after childbirth and a young woman leaving England to America. This book has a sad and realistic story; yes, it is very much a like a soap opera, especially in our times where life has become a place where morals and virtues are hard to find in the youth. The morals and lessons learned in this novel will help other women and people in general to look after and value their families. Family is an important thing to have; even though they may not be perfect, most of the times you know you can count on them.

This story made me open my eyes and believe that even though people make mistakes, we can always come back from them. Most importantly I know they help me grow, appreciate and value the good things that I have. These mistakes have made me stronger person. They have allowed me to become closer to my family. I am fortunate enough to have them in my corner and their love and support is always shown. I am not the kind of girl that takes chances or makes mistakes, I always have to think things through. I am glad that this novel has opened my eyes and has helped me appreciate the life I have. In my younger years, I never really acted out and at times I felt like I was missing out something for not being so careless. But this book has showed me how fortunate I was for taking my time with the choices I made. If I had been so carefree and wild, all my mistakes could have challenged my life and maybe even destroyed it. It has also taught me that it is alright to be careless at times and to enjoy my life a little bit more without worrying about problems that may arise.

In sum, I have really enjoyed learning from Susanna Haswell-Rowson's personal life. She was a great author; her life was extraordinary for a woman in those times. I have also learned to not take life too seriously and to enjoy it. I need to appreciate the good with the bad and to accept the consequences for my actions. That having my family with me can and will help me overcome whatever obstacle may come arise. This has also piqued my interest about the importance of women writers of passed times. I hope that every author is valued for what they create. Many people may think that women write as an escape. That their novels are nothing more than romantic and trashy books that have no literary significance. But in the end it is up to each of us to decide what we consider a good piece of literature is.

References

http://coursesite.uhcl.edu/HSH/Whitec/xauthors/Rowson.htm

http://coursesite.uhcl.edu/HSH/Whitec/texts/AmClassics/RomFiction/RowsonCTemple/default.html

http://college.cengage.com/english/lauter/heath/4e/students/author_pages/eighteenth/rowson_su.html

http://womeninhistoryprograms.com/rowson.html

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Susanna_Haswell_Rowson.aspx