Representations of Children in 18^th Century Literature : An Analysis Using "Moll Flanders" by Daniel Defoe and "The Castle of Otranto" by Horace Walpole (Page 1 of 2 ►)

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There are a number of modern-day adages which are still used to describe the ways in which children of past generations were regarded with respect to their position in society and in relationship to their families. These sayings include, among others, “Children are best seen and not heard.” Such adages are certainly apropos when applied to a great many works of 18^th century literature, in which children were variously portrayed as nuisances, burdens, and miniaturized adults, who should control themselves and understand the decisions of people chronologically and developmentally older than they (Warner 561). There are examples, however, of children who resisted against the stereotypes into which they were cast, and among these are characters in Walpole’s “The Castle of Otranto” and Defoe’s “Moll Flanders”. In both of these texts, the reader encounters child characters who refuse to be marginalized and kept silent. They resist serving as the showpieces and playthings of adults, and in doing so, challenge both literary and social conventions that characterized the 18^th century. Each of the main characters, however, defies role lock in her own unique way.

In The “Castle of Otranto”, Manfred, the Prince of Otranto, has one son and one daughter, and his affections for them differ considerably. Interestingly, it is his daughter, Matilda, who has everything to recommend her. Matilda is beautiful, possesses a winning personality, intelligence, emotionial maturity, and great social poise. Nonetheless, Manfred shows more love and concern for his son, Conrad, who is described as not only lacking in all of the qualities that Matilda possesses, but who is also sickly, physically underdeveloped, and generally lacking in any admirable qualities. When performing a character analysis of Matilda in "The Castle of Otranto" it becomes clear that she may not be considered a child in the strictest sense of the word, given that she is identified as being 18 years of age, she is still considered a child, as she has not married and left the parental home. The narrator does not disclose the reasons for Manfred’s biased parental attentions, but one may assume that the primary reason is because, quite simply, Conrad is a boy and Matilda is a girl. For that reason alone, Conrad is “the darling of his father” (15). Conrad’s unfortunate and untimely death, then, creates an interesting interpersonal dynamic among Manfred and the other characters, though especially with Matilda.

The reader of "The Castle of Otranto" by Walpole sees that in spite of Matilda’s great effort to sublimate her own feelings about the loss of her brother by devoting her energies toward caring for their mother, Manfred’s appreciation of Matilda does not increase substantially. In fact, after contemplating whether she should approach her father after her brother’s death, she decides to do so, knocking on his chamber door, announcing in one of the important quotes from "The Castle of Otranto" by Horace Walpole, “My dearest father, it is I, your daughter” (Walpole 25). Manfred rejects her outright, saying “Begone! I do not want a daughter” (Walpole 25). It may be difficult for the reader to understand this stunning degree of indifference and even emotional cruelty that Manfred demonstrates towards his oldest and only remaining child, yet it is important to understand The Castle of Otranto within its historical context. While adults’ attitudes towards children were beginning to change at the turn of the century, an attitude reflected in societal and cultural transformations that were, quite simply, more child-friendly, the paradigm shift had not completely given way (Pollock 18). This is clearly visible in Manfred’s attitude towards Matilda. Despite her maturity and sensitivity, Manfred cannot accept or approach his daughter outside of the old paternalistic frameworks of an earlier era. To him, it would be better that Matilda be neither seen nor heard.

It is also important to understand that the narrator does everything possible within his power to portray Matilda in a positive light. This action convinces the reader that Matilda neither needs nor deserves to be confined to the limitations of the infantilized role into which her father has cast her. The narrator provides ample evidence that this is the case. He explains Matilda’s thought processes, demonstrating her empathy and concern for others on multiple occasions. Matilda recognizes that her father does not love her as he loved Conrad, but she restrains herself from feeling self-pitying about it, as is evidenced when she says to Bianca, “[H]is heart was ever a stranger to me -- but he is my father, and I must not complain….I can support his harshness to me with patience” (Walpole 56). While Matilda understands the role that she is to play in relationship to her father, she consistently challenges the extent to which it confines her, though she does so quietly and subtly.

Defoe’s novel Moll Flanders, like Walpole’s The Castle of Otranto, involves an important young female character who resists the conventional categories to which children were frequently confined, both in 18^th century literature and in society. The main character in Moll Flanders, however, establishes her resistance against the traditional role for a female child by establishing a distinct narrative voice and a unique technical strategy when compared with The Castle of Otranto. First, Moll Flanders, the young female character, is also the narrator of the novel; whereas Matilda was only a subject, albeit a sympathetic one. Moll tells the complete story of her “history and misfortunes” (Defoe 1) from her own point-of-view, starting from the unusual circumstances of her birth and concluding with the seventh decade of her life. This narrative authority should not be underestimated, for it was not entirely common for the period. As one scholar observers, Defoe appears to have been attempting to challenge not only the ways in which children were portrayed, but also the ways in which females were typically presented in the literary space (Moglen 20).

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