Fantomina

I think Fantomina was not included in earlier editions of our anthology mainly because its a different genere composed by a different gender. Instead of the poems and plays about women composed by mostly misogynistic men, Haywood's work is a progressive topic contained within a relatively undeveloped literary structure. I'm not sure I would say it fits into the story of English literature but rather that it disrupts and challenges what great writing has been until that point. Her novel does not completely oppose the ideals of women conveyed by her male predecessors and contemporaries as she does not find women without error. However, because the story is from the point of view of a woman, sex is not just an image applied by men to women, but rather is a longing possessed and exchanged by both sexes. She acknowledges that there are differences between a man and woman's view of sex but does not necessarily condone the actions of either character in the novel. By initially presenting Fantomina as innocent and naive, she is able to show women's capability in developing and functioning within society. The irony of the story is that Fantomina, in her own distorted way, gets what women want (the devotion of one man) and in doing so, gives Beauplaisir the illusion of what men want which is to sleep around with every female possible. Although the end result is not necessarily favorable for either party, the story itself is more real to life than most of what we have read. A woman is not a piece of art with unrealistic ideals bestowed upon her but instead she is a being just as capable as men when it comes to the game of love. While the novel is drastically different from the other works within the anthology, I do think it is a valuable addition because it disrupts the monotony and challenges the reader to think about the social and gender ideals maintained by men during that period.