Locke, McDowell, Statute of Anne, Fielding

Locke was very fervent in proving Filmer wrong in his perceptions. While reading Locke’s Second Treatise on Civil Government, I felt I may have a better understanding of the culmination of events if I had read Filmer. I have never read Locke before this so I feel like I have misinterpreted some things… so if I have bare with me. I noticed that Locke was against the divine right that the monarchs were using to secure there power. It was intriguing how he used Adam to create doubt about it. As Locke went on, at times I felt like I was in a sermon because the religious references kept coming. I noticed that Locke did not specifically mention the ‘role’ of women in society, but it could be that he mentioned it later in the essay since we stopped at “Of Paternal Power.” I think I noticed this because I read McDowell’s piece prior to this one.
McDowell made some great observations about “Women in the London Book Trade.” The part that was really fascinating was when she says, ”While women running businesses are commonly assumed by modern historians to have been widows..” (37). It is interesting that there were assumptions made by professional historians. I would have thought they would have thoroughly looked into the facts about history, since its their job and all. My favorite example, and I have to admit I laughed at, was Jane Bradford. She “was accused of keeping her husband a prisoner in his own home” (37). Just because she was an able female individual there had to be something wrong with her. It was just as interesting to learn that Ann Franklin, and Tace Sowle “…appear to have chosen to render their own labour invisible” (39). Considering the accusations against Bradford, they had motivation to be anonymous. I wonder if they felt they had to because of the society they lived in, or if they were conditioned by the society to think that it is improper to take credit for the services they accomplished. The “hawkers and ballad singers” bothered me. It was not because they were ‘breaking the law’ but because they were breaking the law for necessity. The government troubled itself over these women that found a job “purely for want of bread” (58). It is ridiculous to think that they brought women that had handicaps into court for trying to survive. For example, Sarah Ogilbie’s mother was 73 yrs old and blind.
After reading the Statute of Anne, I read Fielding’s “The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling” and I am very glad I did this. I don’t think I would’ve gotten the full effect of Fielding’s perspective otherwise. Reading through the statute, well, it was tedious. At times I had to go back and make sure it was referring to the same charge, like in section one. It was really wordy and repetitive but I suppose that is how law is suppose to be. My favorite part of Fielding was the end, this is when he is discussing Pope being plagiarized by Moore, he says, “…and, for a further punishment, imprisoned the said Moore in the loathsome dungeon of the Dunciad…as a proper punishment for such his unjust dealings in the poetical trade” (437). I just found it comical that as a form of punishment Pope imprisons Moore in an imaginary dungeon. Since Pope is mentioned in this piece that does not cite where quotations are from, I am assuming Pope did the same as Fielding. I think Fielding provided a nice comical relief from the other readings that were assigned.