User:Cdubie0201/Azemia

Azemia “Azemia is a satirical attack on what William Beckford perceived as characteristically feminine novel-writing. First published in 1797, under the pseudonym Jacquetta Agneta Mariana Jenks, it joined its companion volume Modern Novel Writing, or, The Elegant Enthusiast (1796) in ridiculing the sentimental and sensational novels of the day, and especially the productions of William Lane's Minerva Press.

Authorship

Beckford attempted to solidify the identity of Azemia’s false authoress, Jacquette Agenta Mariana Jenks, by including a rather flowery letter of dedication “To the Right Honourable Lady Harriet Marlow”, which presents the novel as an “inferior production” being given to Lady Marlow by an admiring fan. In this dedication, Beckford subtly weaved the kind of feminine sentimentality that the novel is purported to critique , in admitting the story as an indulgence of “the trepidating tenderness of a too sensible imagination”. The Minvera Press, seen as the target of Beckford’s critique , was a large presence in publishing during Beckford’s time. Critics, however, were not fooled by Azemias pseudonym, Miss Jenks, and in fact many aligned its author with that of “The Right Honorable Lady Harriet Marlow”, which is the pseudonym used by Beckford in writing The Modern Novel. Such a connection was made apparent in Azemia’s dedication to Lady Marlow. , The British Critic rightly identified the similarity between these two of Beckford’s works, but went so far as to claim the topic as “exhausted in the first attempt”; the “first attempt” being The Modern Novel, which had been reviewed in the journal’s previous volume. . Furthermore, the novel’s author was assumed to be male, thus “false delicacy” was not assumed by the reviewer. In an attempt to counter the unveiling of Azemia’s author as male, Beckford revised subsequent editions of the work to include an “Address”, which deals directly with the assumption that Modern Novel Writing, and this by association of authorship, Azemia, were written by a male, more specifically Robert Merry . His justification comes in the form of a parable, prefaced by yet another stab at feminine inferiority cloaked as humility, called “Edward and Ellen”. The story, having nothing to do with the novel itself, if merely meant to illustrate through its supposed shared authorship by Miss Jenks, that the author of Azemia is undoubtedly female.

Edward and Ellen

“Edward and Ellen” includes both title characters and the tragedy that precipitates from immoral decisions. Ellen is the fairest daughter of Mayfield, a modest farmer. She fosters attachment to her playmate Edward Willis, who is six years her senior. After six years pass in which she fears he has forgotten her, Edward returns and is so taken with her that he “wishes the dreams of their happy infancy might be realized, and that she whom he had then playfully elected might become his wife”. However, Edward’s miserly father will not allow their union, and Ellen’s father forbids the young lovers to see one another if Edward will not marry his daughter. Edward comes into company with a Mr. Northam, who ultimately introduces him to the immoderate worlds of drinking and gambling, leading to Edward’s degeneration. In his morally weak state, Edward connives to have Ellen run off with him, which she does out of devotion. For a time they are happy together, until Edward begins to neglect her and ultimately admits, “I am an undone wretch- and I have undone thee”, as he has fallen into debt and creditors seize all his belongings. Ellen, being loyal to the man she loves, agrees to stay with him and try to remedy their situation, by working at whatever job she can find. For a time, their situation seems to improve, as both the lovers are employed. However, Edward, who had become “upper groom to a Nobleman”, soon regained a taste for the world of gambling, and became mixed up in a situation that caused both him and Ellen to be fired from their posts. Once again destitute, and now with a newborn son, Edward enters into one last scheme for monetary gain, but this time is caught and thrown into prison. The results of his trial mean that he will be shipped to Botany Bay in New South Wales, Australia. Ellen, believing for a time that she will accompany him, readies herself to once again loyally follow Edward down the path of ruin. Yet at the last moment, she discovers she cannot join him in Australia. Desperate and downtrodden, unable to care for her son alone and impassioned by the prospect of losing her husband forever, Ellen acts on a piece of cruel advice to commit a crime herself, that she might be sent to Australia as well. She frantically goes out and steals fabric from a store, but as her theft amounts to more than forty shillings’ value, she is sentenced to death. Tragically, her son dies as Ellen awaits her sentence, and Edward is taken away to fulfill his own sentence. He finds out about her fate just before he embarks by boat for Australia, and “it was supposed he found means to go overboard in the night; for on the following day he was missing, and never heard of more. The tragic circumstances of their downfall are blamed on avarice, of Edward’s father and of society in creating such a harsh punishment for Ellen’s theft. (21). Thus the opening tale ends, as much as a cautionary tale meant to instill a sense of moderation and reflection in the reader, as an example of “the feeble feminine mind, where pity often supersedes justice”

Critical Reviews

Azemia received mixed reviews, but a general trend among reviewers was to rave about the poetic prowess while expressing disdain for the prose itself. For example, the Critical Review states plainly, “the satirical poetry in this work is preferable to the prose”, while other publications such as British Review glorify the poetry as “well, and even happily executed.” Many reviews seemed to recognize the prowess of the author, and claimed regret that his talents were used in such an inferior fashion, as in Lady’s Monthly Museum’s profile of Beckford. Their article supports his aim “to hold up to ridicule the flimsy narrative of those affected scribblers whose volumes loaded the shelves of our circulating libraries” . They too, however, express regret as his having wasted his time and talent on such an endeavor. In fact, Beckford himself acknowledges its position in Azemia’s “Address” Despite disappointment in the work as a whole, the Monthly Review went so far as to claim the work as “under the direction of GENIUS” and that its quality, though perhaps not superior, to be still “acceptable to many readers”. The same review hails "Azemia" as "“an entertaining compound of good taste and good writing,- just satire and whimsical fancy".

External links

• http://www.valancourtbooks.com/azemia.html