Abstract:
Within The Lamplighter, a novel written in 1854, Maria
Susanna Cummins defines a version of the sentimental novel
that significantly differs from the prescriptive analysis
male critics have offered for the genre. This thesis
argues that feminist theory and recent rhetorical theory
have caused a critical paradigm shift that has opened new
possibilities for re-visioning this and other nineteenth century
sentimental fiction. Certain critics including
Nina Baym and Susan K. Harris have suggested that
sentimental fiction can be re-visioned by allowed ourselves
the freedom to explore the texts through a critique of
traditional canonical models. Harris' process analysis
method of exploring texts acknowledges the shifting
ideologies of nineteenth-century America and blends
historical, rhetorical, and ideological methods of
criticism in a system that allows the complex nature of
sentimental fiction to unfold. Process analysis centers
the reading on the text, while valuing the cultural
structures and historical context of the time in which it
was written. The purpose of this thesis is not to devalue
canonical literature nor to value all women-authored texts
disregarding valid standards of quality but to demonstrate
that we can discover a different value for the sentimental.
The consequence of reading through this process is
discovering that Cummins explicitly states the purpose of
literature, her cultural contribution to the state of her
nation, and women's responsibility to alter that condition
through self-education, true concern for others, and
development of autonomy. Through this reading I place The
Lamplighter as a significant marker in the history of women authored
fiction.
