Beatrice the Sixteenth

Last updated

Beatrice the Sixteenth
Beatrice the Sixteenth title page.jpg
First edition title page
Author Irene Clyde
LanguageEnglish
Genres
Set inArmeria
Publisher George Bell & Sons, Macmillan
Publication date
1909
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint
Pages338
OCLC 557866271

Beatrice the Sixteenth: Being the Personal Narrative of Mary Hatherley, M.B., Explorer and Geographer is a 1909 feminist utopian novel by the English lawyer, writer, and activist Irene Clyde. She has been described by contemporary scholars as non-binary, transgender, or a trans woman. [1] The book tells the story of a time traveler who discovers a lost world featuring a postgender society.

Contents

Plot summary

Mary Hatherley, a geographical explorer traveling through a desert with an Arab escort, is knocked unconscious by a camel. She awakes to find herself among a group of mysterious people dressed in brown robes with yellow stripes. As she travels with them, she discovers the utopian society of Armeria under the rule of Queen Beatrice the Sixteenth. Upon her arrival, Mary is introduced to the orderly streets of Armeria, where societal norms and traditional gender roles are ambiguous. The inhabitants of Armeria live in a harmonious environment, emphasising equality and mutual respect, without the strict gender distinctions present in Mary's world.

Mary is hosted by Ilex, a high-ranking official in Armeria, who helps her navigate the customs and traditions of this society. Ilex's house serves as an example of Armerian culture, filled with various characters that showcase the different facets of their social structure. The people of Armeria engage in intellectual pursuits, artistic expressions, and a communal way of life that prioritises collective well-being over individual ambition. They follow a strict vegetarian diet, having ceased to slaughter animals for over a thousand years. Their language incorporates elements of Latin and Greek and lacks grammatical gender. Slavery exists in Armeria, but the treatment of slaves appears to be more humane and integrated into their society.

As Mary becomes more integrated into Armerian society, she observes their custom of forming life partnerships, known as a "conjux", which are based on love, companionship, and equality, rather than sex, highlighting the differences from her own society. The Armerians are unable to reproduce, so infants are exchanged for goods from neighbouring inhabitants.

Tensions escalate as conflict arises between Armeria and the neighbouring Uras people, who plot to dethrone Queen Beatrice and are determined to conquer Armeria. The Armerians prepare for the inevitable conflict with a mixture of stoicism and hope, demonstrating their resilience and commitment to their way of life. The narrative explores the strategies and emotional struggles of the Armerian leaders as they face the threat of invasion. Mary witnesses the bravery and sacrifice of the Armerians, particularly through the actions of Ilex and other key figures who embody the spirit of their society.

Mary accompanies Ilex and a group of scouts as they explore the mountains and caves, searching for signs of the Uras invaders. The tension increases when they are attacked, and Mary experiences the realities of the impending war. This journey tests Mary's courage and deepens her bond with the Armerians, solidifying her place in their community. The struggle against the Uras is depicted in detail, highlighting the contrast between the peaceful Armerian way of life and the aggression of their enemies.

As the conflict reaches its climax, Mary is drawn into the heart of the battle, witnessing the heroism and losses of her new friends. The Armerians' defence of their homeland is portrayed with both grandeur and intimacy, focusing on individual stories of bravery and the collective determination to preserve their society. The narrative presents the cost of defending one's values and way of life without shying away from the realities of war.

The story concludes with a reflection on the impact of the conflict and the enduring spirit of the Armerians. Despite the devastation, the community's commitment to their ideals remains steadfast. Mary, now fully a part of Armerian society, forms a conjux with Ilex and contemplates the lessons she has learnt and the transformative power of their example. The manuscript concludes with a note revealing that Mary has decided to stay in Armeria, entrusting her story to be shared with the world to inspire others to envision a society founded on equality and respect. She sends the manuscript to a friend in Scotland, who then arranges for its publication by Irene Clyde.

Themes

Defamiliarization

Beatrice the Sixteenth has been described as a successful example of defamiliarization, in that it places the reader in a world initially without any indications of gender and this places strain on the reader's attempt to apply existing social paradigms which require gender categorisation. [2]

Gender and sexuality

The novel has been cited as a predecessor of other feminist utopias and modern radical feminist thinking on gender and sexuality. [3] Some commentators draw attention to how the novel initially avoids the use of gendered pronouns, instead referring to characters as a "figure", "person" or "personage", yet as the novel progresses, gendered pronouns such as she are increasingly used and feminine characteristics are blatantly valued. [4] [3] Others, such as Sonja Tiernan, argue that despite Armeria being presented as genderless, the characters all appear to be female. [5] Emily Hamer calls the book a lesbian love story. [6] Clyde's deliberate avoidance of gendering the book's characters has been contrasted to Ursula K. Leguin's 1969 novel The Left Hand of Darkness , which uses masculine pronouns to refer to its agender characters. [2] It has also been compared to Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Herland, published six years later, in 1915, with Beatrice the Sixteenth described as being "more radical". [5] The book is considered to be an early example of transgender literature. [7]

Marriage

Sonja Tiernan argues that the book is critical of heterosexual marriage and presents it as only being redeemable when it's based on a relationship between people of the same gender. [5]

Reception

The novel did not sell well, and copies remained with the publisher into the 1950s. [6] A contemporary reviewer commended it for being well-written and interesting, with characters that felt real. [8] Another reviewer suggested that the "Adventures of Mary Hatherley" would have been a more fitting title but appreciated the vegetarianism of the Armerians. [9] The Herald of the Cross saw the book as conveying a spiritual and occult message, representing the soul's journey on an occult plane of consciousness. [10] Louise Radford Wells found the novel unusual and was initially confused by the characters' genders, later realising that each heroine was also a hero. She concluded that the book was well-written and entertaining. [11] The Guardian speculated that the author might have been a suffragist, describing the society in the book as delightful but lacking detailed explanations of its workings. Despite finding the book's style incoherent, the review acknowledged its interesting ideas. [12]

Criticism

A contemporary critic described the book's setting as highly unusual and not easily understandable. As a result, they felt that the story lacked a certain level of human interest that might have made it more engaging for readers. [13]

In Changing Subjects, Melanie Taylor critiques the novel as being very unrealistic and having a dense, sluggish writing style. [4] : 401  She highlights that it depicts an idealised version of an entirely female world and contends that it does not successfully represent a true utopia: [4] : 403 

Far from being the ideal state it sets out to be, this world is riddled with its own divisions and conflicts. Hierarchical and binary distinctions are the foundational poles of this alternative existence—Armeria/Uras, free people/slaves, civilised/barbarians—whilst in its practices of "conjux" (which means "a joined person") the Western conventions of monogamy and marriage are upheld.

Matt Polzin argues that in Clyde's vision of an ideal future society, which is achieved by abolishing gender, she relied on other classification systems, including colonial hierarchies. Polzin believes that utopian world-building is enhanced when we increase our "response-ability" to historical acts of racial and colonial violence and take into account existing cultural and ecological relationships, especially in those "elsewheres" that utopian fiction has traditionally portrayed as blank canvases for imagination. [14]

Lucy Ella Rose claims that Clyde's uncritical approach to enslavement reveals her work's elitist and hierarchical tendencies. While she aims to abolish sex and gender divisions and elevate lesbian intimacy, her work conservatively reinforces class and social status divisions. This is evident in her support for protecting the aristocracy, associating it with the "charm" of femininity. These aspects align Clyde's work with other white middle-class feminist writings of the interwar period, situating it within broader literary and scientific modernism debates. [15]

Publication history

The first edition was published in 1909 by George Bell & Sons, in London. [16] It was also published by Macmillan, in New York. [17]

A new edition of the book was published in 2023 by Mint Editions. [18]

Related Research Articles

Feminist science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction focused on such feminist themes as: gender inequality, sexuality, race, economics, reproduction, and environment. Feminist SF is political because of its tendency to critique the dominant culture. Some of the most notable feminist science fiction works have illustrated these themes using utopias to explore a society in which gender differences or gender power imbalances do not exist, or dystopias to explore worlds in which gender inequalities are intensified, thus asserting a need for feminist work to continue.

Science fiction and fantasy serve as important vehicles for feminist thought, particularly as bridges between theory and practice. No other genres so actively invite representations of the ultimate goals of feminism: worlds free of sexism, worlds in which women's contributions are recognized and valued, worlds that explore the diversity of women's desire and sexuality, and worlds that move beyond gender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utopia</span> Imaginary community or society possessing highly desirable or perfect qualities

A utopia typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, which describes a fictional island society in the New World.

<i>The Dispossessed</i> 1974 science fiction novel by Ursula K. Le Guin

The Dispossessed is a 1974 anarchist utopian science fiction novel by American writer Ursula K. Le Guin, one of her seven Hainish Cycle novels. It is one of a small number of books to win all three Hugo, Locus and Nebula Awards for Best Novel. It achieved a degree of literary recognition unusual for science fiction due to its exploration of themes such as anarchism and revolutionary societies, capitalism, utopia, individualism, and collectivism.

Utopian and dystopian fiction are subgenres of science fiction that explore social and political structures. Utopian fiction portrays a setting that agrees with the author's ethos, having various attributes of another reality intended to appeal to readers. Dystopian fiction offers the opposite: the portrayal of a setting that completely disagrees with the author's ethos. Some novels combine both genres, often as a metaphor for the different directions humanity can take depending on its choices, ending up with one of two possible futures. Both utopias and dystopias are commonly found in science fiction and other types of speculative fiction.

<i>The Female Man</i> 1975 English-language book by Joanna Russ

The Female Man is a feminist science fiction novel by American writer Joanna Russ. It was originally written in 1970 and first published in 1975 by Bantam Books. Russ was an ardent feminist and challenged sexist views during the 1970s with her novels, short stories, and nonfiction works. These works include We Who Are About To..., "When It Changed", and What Are We Fighting For?: Sex, Race, Class, and the Future of Feminism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eva Gore-Booth</span> Irish writer and activist (1870-1926)

Eva Selina Laura Gore-Booth was an Irish poet, theologian, and dramatist, and a committed suffragist, social worker and labour activist. She was born at Lissadell House, County Sligo, the younger sister of Constance Gore-Booth, later known as the Countess Markievicz.

Mizora is a feminist science fiction utopian novel by Mary E. Bradley Lane, first published in 1880–81, when it was serialized in the Cincinnati Commercial newspaper. It appeared in book form in 1890. Mizora is "the first portrait of an all-female, self-sufficient society," and "the first feminist technological Utopia."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Postgenderism</span> Social, political and cultural movement advocating for the elimination of gender in humans

Postgenderism is a social, political and cultural movement which arose from the eroding of the cultural, psychological, and social role of gender, and an argument for why the erosion of binary gender will be liberatory.

<i>Woman on the Edge of Time</i> 1976 novel by Marge Piercy

Woman on the Edge of Time is a 1976 novel by American writer Marge Piercy. It is considered a classic of utopian speculative science fiction as well as a feminist classic. The novel was originally published by Alfred A. Knopf. Piercy draws on several inspirations to write this novel such as utopian studies, technoscience, socialization, and female fantasies. One of Piercy's main inspirations for her utopian novels is Plato's Republic. Piercy describes the novel as, "if only…" Piercy even compares Woman on the Edge of Time and another one of her utopian novels He, She, and It when discussing the themes and inspirations behind it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esther Roper</span> Lancashire-born writer, campaigner and suffragist

Esther Roper was a suffragist and social justice campaigner who fought for equal employment and voting rights for working-class women.

<i>The Blazing World</i> 17th century prose work by Margaret Cavendish

The Description of a New World, Called The Blazing-World, better known as The Blazing World, is a 1666 work of prose fiction by the English writer Margaret Cavendish, the Duchess of Newcastle. Feminist critic Dale Spender calls it a forerunner of science fiction. It can also be read as a utopian work.

Gender has been an important theme explored in speculative fiction. The genres that make up speculative fiction, science fiction, fantasy, supernatural fiction, horror, superhero fiction, science fantasy and related genres, have always offered the opportunity for writers to explore social conventions, including gender, gender roles, and beliefs about gender. Like all literary forms, the science fiction genre reflects the popular perceptions of the eras in which individual creators were writing; and those creators' responses to gender stereotypes and gender roles.

A relatively common motif in speculative fiction is the existence of single-gender worlds or single-sex societies. These fictional societies have long been one of the primary ways to explore implications of gender and gender-differences in science fiction and fantasy. Many of these predate a widespread distinction between gender and sex and conflate the two.

Arqtiq: A Story of the Marvels at the North Pole is a feminist utopian adventure novel, published in 1899 by its author, Anna Adolph. The book was one element in the major wave of utopian and dystopian fiction that marked the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

<i>With Her in Ourland</i> 1916 novel by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

With Her in Ourland: Sequel to Herland is a feminist novel and sociological commentary written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The novel is a follow-up and sequel to Herland (1915), and picks up immediately following the events of Herland, with Terry, Van, and Ellador traveling from Herland to "Ourland". The majority of the novel follows Van and Ellador's travels throughout the world, and particularly the United States, with Van curating their explorations through the then-modern world, while Ellador offers her commentary and "prescriptions" from a Herlander's perspective, discussing topics such as the First World War, foot binding, education, politics, economics, race relations, and gender relations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Baty</span> English lawyer, writer and activist (1869–1954)

Thomas Baty, also known as Irene Clyde, was an English international lawyer, writer and activist. Baty was a renowned legal scholar and international law expert, spending the majority of a distinguished career as a legal advisor to the Japanese Foreign Office and publishing several works on international law. Baty was also a notable advocate for radical feminism and against binary gender distinctions. Contemporary scholars have described Baty variously as non-binary, genderfluid, transgender, or a trans woman.

Annie Denton Cridge (1825–1875) was a UK-born American spiritualist, political reformer, lecturer, and writer. Cridge had great interest in women's rights, politics, and spiritualism. She helped produce a radical newspaper The Vanguard. The utopian feminist novel she wrote in 1870, Man's Rights, or how would you like it? Comprising dreams, is said to be the first utopian novel written by a woman. As well, she assisted in the high-profile literary and political work of several family members - her husband Alfred Cridge, her brother William Denton, and her son Alfred Denton Cridge.

<i>Urania</i> (journal) Academic journal

Urania was a privately circulated feminist gender studies journal, published between 1916 and 1940. Editors included Eva Gore-Booth, Esther Roper, Irene Clyde, Dorothy Cornish, and Jessey Wade. It was published bimonthly from 1916 to 1920, then triannually due to high costs.

Alice Ilgenfritz Jones was an American author. Born in Ohio, she spent most of her life in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She wrote travel essays for Lippincott's Monthly Magazine and several novels. The first novel, High-Water Mark, appeared under the pen name "Ferris Jerome" and was a Gothic romance set in a prairie town. Her most notable work is the 1893 feminist utopia Unveiling a Parallel. She wrote it with Ella Robinson Merchant, and they called themselves the "Two Women of the West". Jones also wrote a novel about an enslaved woman who becomes an artist, Beatrice of Bayou Têche, and a historical novel set in the 18th century called The Chevalier de St. Denis. She died during a vacation in Cuba.

References

  1. ↑ Orsi, Marcus (2021-05-18). "Jenny White reflects on the legacy of Urania". LSE Review of Books. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  2. 1 2 Patai, Daphne (Spring 1982). "When Women Rule: Defamiliarization in the Sex-Role Reversal Utopia". Extrapolation. 23 (1): 56–69. doi:10.3828/extr.1982.23.1.56.
  3. 1 2 Ferreira, Maria Aline Seabra; Ferreira, M. A. Almoster (2005). I Am the Other: Literary Negotiations of Human Cloning. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 75. ISBN   978-0-313-32006-4.
  4. 1 2 3 Taylor, Melanie (July 2000). Changing Subjects: Transgender Consciousness and the 1920s (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of York.
  5. 1 2 3 McAuliffe, Mary; Tiernan, Sonja, eds. (2008). "'Engagements Dissolved:' Eva Gore-Booth, Urania and the Challenge to Marriage". Tribades, Tommies and Transgressives: Histories of Sexualities. Vol. 1. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 128–144. ISBN   978-1-84718-592-1 – via Academia.edu.
  6. 1 2 Hamer, Emily (2016). Britannia's Glory: A History of Twentieth Century Lesbians. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 67–68. ISBN   978-1-4742-9280-1.
  7. ↑ Cugini, Eli (2021-09-15). "The troubled golden age of trans literature". Xtra Magazine . Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  8. ↑ "Books and Things" (PDF). The Nautilus: 56. September 1910.
  9. ↑ G., A. (January 1910). "In Womanland" (PDF). The Theosophist. 31 (4): 538.
  10. ↑ "Book Notices". The Herald of the Cross. 6. Bradford and London: Percy Lund, Humphries & co.: 256 1910.
  11. ↑ Wells, Louise Radford (December 1909). "Holiday Fiction" (PDF). New Thought. Chicago: New Thought Publishing Co.: 460.
  12. ↑ C., M. (1909-12-01). "New Novels". The Guardian . Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  13. ↑ "Tales from Other Spheres" (PDF). Light: A Journal of Psychical, Occult and Mystical Research. 29 (1501): 500. 1909-10-16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-07-04. Retrieved 2020-07-04.
  14. ↑ Polzin, Matt (2022-10-28). "Grad Profile: Matt Polzin". The Humanities Institute - UC Santa Cruz. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
  15. ↑ Funke, Jana (2023). "Lesbian-trans-feminist modernism and sexual science: Irene Clyde and Urania". In Carroll, Rachel; Tolan, Fiona (eds.). The Routledge Companion to Literature and Feminism. Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781003429951-18/lesbian-trans-feminist-modernism-sexual-science-jana-funke (inactive 1 November 2024). ISBN   978-1-00-342995-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  16. ↑ "Publication: Beatrice the Sixteenth". The Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  17. ↑ "Books and Things" (PDF). The Nautilus. 12 (11): 56. September 1910.
  18. ↑ "Beatrice the Sixteenth: Being the Personal Narrative of Mary Hatherley, M.B., Explorer and Geographer (Mint Editions (Reading with Pride))". The MIT Press Bookstore. 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2024-01-06.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.