Informative Essay

    Eliza Haywood lived an abnormal life for a woman of her time, leading to her being under heavy criticism from other outspoken members of the community at the time. She was an English writer of romantic novels that were mirrors of contemporary eighteenth-century scandals. Haywood herself was no stranger to controversy herself, often finding herself in the public eye and being called out by other public figures. Haywood lived a very secretive life and was an independent professional writer throughout her life in the eighteenth century. Eliza Haywood’s life differed from other women in her time due to her controversial subject matter, public persona, and marital status.

    In the eighteenth century, life was very different for women than today. The roles of both men and women were very different. Women were generally expected to take on more of a housewife role and were unable to vote. According to the British Literature Wiki, most mothers would have many children because the child and infant mortality rate was very high, with 12-13% of children dying within their first year (British Literary Wiki). Due to this, women were expected to stay home and do housework, as well as being unable to work, go to university, and enter many professions. Due to all of these factors, women were expected to get married early, especially with the low average life expectancy of the time. In this sense, Eliza Haywood was abnormal for the time. Little is known for sure about Eliza Haywood’s biography, but it is mostly agreed that Haywood was perhaps married around 1710 and then most likely left him between 1715 and 1720 (Plante). This was very strange for the time period, as stated before, due to these societal norms for women, and with Haywood being able to be single and support herself through her career in writing.

    Secondly, Haywood’s life was abnormal to that of other women due to the controversial subject matter that she wrote about. According to the British Literature Wiki, “Women who were found to be too argumentative or radical could deal with cruel and humiliating public penalties.” Needless to say, Haywood was no stranger to such cruel and humiliating public penalties, with other famous and outspoken writers, due to the radical things that she would write about for the time. Her writing was described as turning to the “extravagantly passionate fiction for which there was then a vogue, adopting the technique of writing novels based on scandals involving leaders of society” (Britannica). At the time, women were not expected to talk about or write about controversial topics such as this, and Haywood herself was even publicly criticized by poet Alexander Pope in his poem The Dunciad in 1728, and was called a “Stupid, infamous woman” by Jonathan Swift. Along with this same idea, Haywood was also unique in her public persona, and how she was seen by others. In the eighteenth century, the idea of womanhood was prevalently that of a demure and submissive ideal. In contrast to this, in a time period where women were mostly not allowed to share their ideas and work in many professions and such, Haywood was known for her charm, intellect, and wit. She was also a prominent figure in literary and social circles. This was a stark contrast to that of the expectations of society, which continues to show Haywood’s abnormal life.

    Eliza Haywood was an English writer throughout the early to mid-eighteenth century who lived a life of mystery and abnormality for the time. Even throughout a time of strict societal norms restricting many of the rights for women, she was still able to live her life outside of these norms and do what was thought to be things that were not allowed for women, being a part of high society as a witty intellectual, being able to be a part of many circles of high society. Through all of this, Haywood was able to lead one of the most unique lives for women throughout the eighteenth century.

Works Cited

    “Eliza Haywood | Biography, Books, & Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Mar. 2024, www.britannica.com/biography/Eliza-Haywood. Accessed 22 Apr. 2024.

    Fitzgerald, Paula Kay. “A Scribbling Dame” Eliza Haywood’s Literary Reputation and the Female Spectator. 11 July 2006.

    Plante, Kelly. “‘The Mad Exploit She Had Undertaken’: A Critical Introduction to Eliza Haywood’s the Female Spectator Book 14, Letter 1 – the Warrior Women Project.” S.wayne.edu, s.wayne.edu/warriorwomen/haywood-edition/haywood-critical-introduction/.

    “Social and Family Life in the Late 17th & Early 18th Centuries | British Literature Wiki.” British Literature Wiki, sites.udel.edu/britlitwiki/social-and-family-life-in-the-late17th-early-18th-centuries/#:~:text=Women%20could%20not%20vote%2C%20own.