1/22/13 and 2/5/13 class notes

1/22/13

Dr. Banner finished her discussion and comments about the American founding fathers, including Thomas Jefferson/Sally Hemmings story, John Adams/Abigail Adams story, and Ben Franklin (who, apparently, was a player). Her focus was on beliefs about men and women not mixing in public spheres because of concerns about sex and because it was believed that thinking, politics, and being in the public sphere would taint women’s morals. Different and more liberal ideas about sex in France. Banner’s point was that beliefs about women and men change over time.

Abigail Adams letter to John Adams: Women are going to rebel if they don’t have representation and say in creating the laws they have to follow. John Adam’s answer: women have indirect power in relationships, sex, family.

Development of the middle class as a new class, in classic definitions the business class. Professions were in the 19^th c. defined as middle class. White collar/blue collar, middle class/working class distinctions discussed, as was disappearance of the middle class. What defines class? Is it just money? For example, a plumber may have income enough to be considered middle class, but the profession is working class; the idea is that class isn’t defined by income alone, but by other factors such as education, type of work, etc.

Victorian roles for women discussed. The squeamishness about sex to the extent where language was changed (leg became limbs, etc.) and even piano legs were covered. Women weren’t told anything about sex, so rape often happened on one’s wedding night. The influence of the Ten Commandments and religion. Women needed to be covered and figleaves were drawn on paintings to cover sex organs. Women couldn’t appear in public while pregnant. Respectable women not only shouldn’t have orgasms, but were considered not able to have an orgasm.

At the same time as the behavior of women: pure, moral, pious (particularly middle class women) was tightly controlled, sex flourished (prostitution: 1 in 16 women in major cities were prostitutes).

Next time will show/discuss Dr. Banner’s slide show: “American Beauty,” about Victorian dress and appearance that will show how culture functioned at the level of dress/the aesthetic.

2/5/13

Dr. Banner absent, so TA gave students the day off after a brief accounting of the film paper term paper option. Tonight is a showing of Vito Russo’s The Celluloid Closet, which students who are doing the film paper must watch as a text that will prepare them to write about specific films to come. Celluloid Closet is a documentary about queer representation in film. Film paper people stayed to hear a more detailed accounting of the film paper option.