Until fairly recently, women writers in America limited their published works to observations of nature, how to be good homemakers, experiences of motherhood, and attitudes on religion. This pattern can be traced in the beginning of American history with the first American female writer. There are many reasons, but probably the strongest is the social stigma of women and their importance (or lack thereof) in this society. As a result, women writers throughout American history were grouped together in a category labeled "sentimental."
There have been a few exceptions to this rule. One of these was Frances Osgood who wrote poetry in the 19th century. She is the subject of an essay entitled "Sex, Wit, and Sentiment: Frances Osgood and the Poetry of Love," written by Joanne Dobson. In this essay, Frances Sargent Osgood is described as a sophisticated woman who spent several years in London and in New York. She was a member of the intellectual high society of both, which granted her the diversity of observations and experience in male/female connections (633). Osgood published poetry dealing heavily with relationships between men and women. She had a sense of the mischievous and did not bow to what others might say or think of her.
Dobson states that Osgood’s published works caught the attention of Edgar Allen Poe, and the two of them began a literary flirtation that spanned several years. Other colleagues of Osgood consisted of writers and editors such as Margaret Fuller, Bayard Taylor, and Horace Greeley. She was part of a crowd called the "literary salons" (634).
The poetry of Frances Osgood has been described as sensual, somewhat sentimental, and often erotic for her time. In her essay, Dobson states that Osgood’s works may illuminate what women of that era were forced to keep inside due to the rules of proper behavior and etiquette. Francis Osgood was quite possibly the voice of the silence female of 19th century America. In fact, Emily Stipes Watts said of Osgood, "she said things in verse that would not be said again in America by a woman until the 1890s" (632).
Frances Osgood was a savvy sophisticate and a skilled versifier. She was much revered in the 1840s for her beautiful and poignant expressions of love. Much of her focus was satirical of the cultural absurdities of love and imagination (632). She voice an often acerbic tone into the battle of the sexes and became a speaker for females through contemporary literary works.
An example of the intellect of Frances Osgood is seen in her poem, "The Wraith of the Rose." In it, the persona reflects on a lover who is from her past. She has apparently sent him off on his own but continues to question her own judgment in that regard. She slips back and forth from regret to praise of her decision by reminding herself of the things she will not miss about him.
The magic of that name is fled
The music of that dream is dead,
Long since Love’s rose, its perfume, shed,
And what art thou to me?
If you have come to clasp again,
The fetter of that fairy chain,
You’d better far at home remain,
And save your time -- and knee!
And yet that dream was strangely dear,
And yet that name awakes a tear,
The wraith of Love’s sweet Rose is here,
It haunts me everywhere!
Osgood’s speaker almost falls prey to romantic nostalgia by this verse. What begins as a general thought about the lover gently turns into a dream or fantasy of him. The speaker must constantly check her tendency to give in to her desire for this man.
I wish the chain were still unbroken,
I wish those words again were spoken,
I wish I’d kept that last fond token,
And had not burned your hair!
I wish your voice still sounded sweet,
I wish you dared Love’s vow repeat,
I wish you were not all deceit,
And I so fickle-hearted!
I wish we might go back again,
I wish you could reclasp the chain!
I wish -- you hadn’t drunk champagne,
So freely since we parted!
She is wishing for a return to an earlier time in their relationship when things were going well, but she keeps running into possibly the reasons why she left him in the first place.
Alas! While Flatter baits your line,
You fish in shallower hearts than mine!
You’ll never find a pearl divine
Like that my spirit wasted!
But should you catch a seeming prize,
A flying fish you’ll see it rise,
Away -- beyond your wicked eyes,
Before the treasure’s tasted!
Oh, if those eyes were splendid now,
As when they spoke the silent vow!
Oh! if the locks that wreath your brown,
Were not -- but this is idle!
My wish shall be with kindness rife,
I’ll wish you all the joys of life,
A pleasant home -- a peerless wife,
Whose wishes, Sense shall bridle!
(636)
Frances Osgood’s poem illuminates a common theme between men and women in relationships. The misunderstandings, the frustrations and the disagreements in which all must go through. These are common characteristics of relationships still today.
It is true that Osgood’s works may yet be considered "sentimental." It is difficult, however, to deny that her words ring true. Her honest and frank outlook on the never-ending gender battle was, according to Dobson, the result of an "irrepressible joie de vivre." Dobson describes Osgood’s works as a conscious and deliberate exposure of the "repressed sexual unconscious of mid-nineteenth-century woman" (646).
As a 20th century woman, I have found a clear and refreshing voice with which to relate. I had previously not been familiar with the works of Frances Osgood, but I have since discovered my own soul as presented in the 19th century. As Frances Osgood transcended the somewhat limiting title of "sentimental," her experience opened the doors for most of the female writers who came after her.
Works Cited
Dobson, Jeanne. "Sex, Wit, and Sentiment: Frances Osgood and the Poetry of Love." American Literature, Vol. 65 (Dec. 1993): 631-49.
