21st Century Fiction 2024

Danielle Dutton's Margaret the First is a  lyrical and imaginative portrayal of Margaret Cavendish, the 17th-century Duchess of Newcastle.   The story takes place in an era where women are largely excluded from intellectual discourse. Margaret tries to enter this literary world by publishing plays, poetry, and philosophical treatises. Although we soon discover that her works were controversial, they represented a radical assertion of a woman's intellectual capabilities.   "I wrote to be known, and though I knew I would be mocked, still I wrote." (Dutton 47) As the story progresses, Margaret's flamboyant style and behaviour earn her the nickname "Mad Madge." As readers, we learn that this was deliberate, as it highlighted her refusal to conform to the expectations of demure silence, and instead, she used her visibility to amplify her ideas.  "They wanted a woman to be quiet, unseen, and I was anything but." (Dutton 75) Her marriage to Cavendi...

       In Margaret the First , the concept of time plays an important role in the narration style and developing themes in the novel. Dutton has a unique way of storytelling, in which the book feels both rushed and detailed at the same time. This technique embodies the way in which humans remember stories. Certain chunks of memories are shared in depth, and then Margaret will say, “so passed two or three years,” completely leaving out years of her life (15). Phrases such as these create a sense of fluidity that feels more raw than other stories. After she releases one of her works, “Poems and Fantasies”, she recalls receiving feedback and gossip. In the midst of this memory, she says, ‘January, February, March,” as if time becomes arbitrary (69).  As the novel continues and years pass in this manner, Margaret begins to notice the effects of aging on herself. She thinks, “how odd that I could still look like a girl, be made to feel it…yet my neck was beginning to...

     Margaret Lucas and William Cavendish's marriage is extremely progressive and healthy despite the environment and societal views of their time. The progressive standard of their marriage is set at the beginning of their relationship when William falls in love with Margaret for her mind and body.  William is interested in marrying Margaret because of her thoughts and ideas and finds her to be an equal with whom he can share his mind. During the 17th century in Western Europe, the idea of marrying a woman for her mind was not heard of. At this time the upper class married for social status and money, so it was a huge surprise to the court that William who "existed in a social sphere far above [her] own" (Dutton 30) was interested in Margaret. The court was also surprised that he was interested in Margaret because she was such an oddity to them due to her masculine hobby of writing. Through this context, we can see how the start of their relationship was differ...

Margaret the First, historical fiction novel by Danielle Dutton, focuses on the pursuits of Margaret Cavendish, the wife of an aristocrat and previous attendant to the queen. As one of the first female writers and an outstanding thinker, Margaret is seen as somewhat of a spectacle by the public. However, her husband is encouraging of her passion for writing and presents Margaret with a healthy marital partnership. One aspect of their relationship that falls short, however, is Margaret’s inability to produce children. At this time, reproduction was the sole duty and only purpose of the wife. Not only is Margaret unable to get pregnant, but takes up other pursuits, potentially in replacement of this lack of activity. She listens in on her husband’s gatherings of prominent thinkers and noblemen and attends balls, in addition to writing fervently. In this way, writing becomes a replacement for the commitment that motherhood would have provided Margaret with.  The novel recounts Margare...

Danielle Dutton’s Margaret the First brings to life the complexities of Margaret Cavendish, the 17th-century Duchess of Newcastle, a woman of fierce intellect and imagination, yet constrained by the conventions of her time. Margaret’s life is deeply entangled with the cultural, social, and political structures of the English Civil War and Restoration England, and these historical forces both shape her opportunities and limit her voice. Through Dutton’s vivid prose, Cavendish emerges as a woman ahead of her time, but one whose ambitions and eccentricities are circumscribed by the rigid expectations of 17th-century society. Margaret’s life as a writer, thinker, and aristocrat is repeatedly molded by the realities of her era. The tumult of the English Civil War uproots her life, forcing her family into political and financial ruin. Her marriage to William Cavendish, an exiled royalist, offers her some stability, but it also ties her ambitions to his political fortunes. Margaret’s positio...

Danielle Dutton's Margaret the First details the life of Margaret Cavendish, who broke the molds of 17th-century English society by crafting various literary works as a woman. Set during the English Civil War, Margaret serves as a lady on the queen's court, where she meets her future husband William Cavendish, who ends up serving as a large supporter of his wife's writing endeavors. Throughout the novel, Margaret is seen as odd compared to the rest of society. Margaret's description at the novel's beginning indicates how people perceive her throughout the novel, which is as someone different. At the novel's beginning, when the reader meets Margaret, her siblings find her odd and constantly tease her. In an interaction between Margaret and her sisters, they tease her for not liking grown-up things. Margaret thinks to herself, "[i]t seemed impossible to make myself be any way but wrong" (Dutton 17). Throughout Margaret's childhood, she felt l...

  Throughout history, women have made significant political and social statements through their clothing and attire. From wearing dresses entirely composed of raw meat (Lady Gaga) to clothing made from recycled plastic to apparel with hidden anti-war messaging among the pleats of fabric, these women are subject to vocal criticism and/or praise from their community members and the media around them. Clothing as a form of expression and rebellion is notably seen throughout the novel Margaret the First by Danielle Dutton.  Margaret the First takes place in 17th century Europe, based on the life of Duchess Margaret Cavendish, a significant author/poet/playwright of the time. Margaret was expected, in this era, to be a complacent housewife and leave writing and philosophical studies to the men. Women’s rights were not abundant in this time period, and women who broke societal norms often saw themselves ostracized and outcast. Margaret found herself in this position as she start...

Margaret the First, a novel by Danielle Dutton, explores Margeret Canvendish’s life. Within the text, she faces gender discrimination, both ridicule and praise, and plenty of drama. At points, Margaret is presented as an independent and creative character, being likened to a celebrity. However, Dutton wants the reader to understand fame through her perspective, not that of plainly power and masculinity. For socially estranged or “weird” women like her, fame is an unfiltered expression of oneself and isn’t entirely reliant on other famous ladies.  Margaret is shown to be a masculine character at certain points, mostly her imitation of the Amazonians. She goes out in revealing gowns with bare breasts, calling it “femme forte” (Dutton 140). However, Dutton distinguishes her popularity from that of other strong female characters in the story. She is called “mad madge” for not fitting into her stereotypical gender roles (Dutton 144). Her attempts of masculinity to be independent yield...

  Margret Cavendish was born in early 17th-century London when arguably the most impactful societal circumstance was the lack of access to education.   During this period, women’s education was heavily devalued and didn’t progress beyond primary school, if that.   Rather, females were educated to be proper wives, and their value centered on bearing children.   Margret rebels against this as she teaches herself to read and write, to a certain extent, from the poetry of Shakespeare and Byron while never receiving proper grammar education.   This results in her thoughts and writing consisting of improper language which might not make sense, but the message is still conveyed.   For example, she wrote “Mother liv’d to see the ruin of her childrin in which was her ruin and died” (Dutton 42).   While the grammar isn’t perfect, Margret explains the despair her mother had from her children’s death that ultimately led to her own.   This raises the question ...

     Danielle Dutton's novel Margaret the First centers around the titular character Margaret Cavendish, a noblewoman living during the time of the English Civil War and Restoration. In her life she challenged the ideas of what women could do through her unabashed nature and publishing of books, giving her plenty of notoriety. However, she would not be the woman she is without being inspired through role models early on. In the novel, Dutton uses the meeting of Margaret with several powerful female figures who reject gender norms to illustrate how she was inspired by these women and how she herself comes to reject gender norms later in her life.      As a lady of nobility, Margaret had ample opportunity to meet with many prominent figures. One such figure was Queen Henrietta Maria, who Margaret joined the court of. She says of the Queen that she "called herself She-Majesty Generalissima" and went "straddling her horse like Alexander and eating with the men ...

In Danielle Dutton’s novel, Margaret the First , the marriage between Margaret and William Cavendish provides a prism through which to examine the intricacies of gender roles in 17th-century England. The relationship between Margaret and William is remarkably unusual in that it respects and encourages Margaret's intellectual endeavors, since the majority of marriages during that era followed norms that confined women to household responsibilities. However, their relationship is unable to completely transcend the social systems that provide Margaret's career a significant boost from William's riches and status. In their progressive yet conventional marriage, this dynamic simultaneously defies and complies with gender norms of the 17th century mainly through the relationship’s impact on Margaret’s literacy work.  On the one hand, their relationship goes against the grain because William actively encourages Margaret to pursue her literary goals, which is unusual during a perio...

  Danielle Dutton’s novel, Margaret the First , explores the complexities of womanhood, and how Margaret’s role as a woman changes throughout the course of the novel. From the beginning of the novel, Margaret was aware of her perceived role in society. Even when she married William Cavendish, the duke of Newcastle, and gained status she didn’t have before, this status provided her nothing since her role as a female came first. Many of the people who were close to or worked for William didn’t have the same amount of respect for Margaret. She shares how “Over them all, I, Lady Cavendish, now presided. To varying degrees, each ignored me.”( Dutton 42) This isn't something she tries to battle or change, and goes along with her given role. She stayed ladylike as she “greeted with practiced curtsies”(Dutton 43) and sat out of male driven conversations “pretending to read or sew”(44). She was interested in all the new things they were talking about, but decided not to interject with her o...

The novel Margaret the First by Danielle Dutton gives us an account of Margeret Cavendish’s life in a poem-esque way. She is a woman in the mid-17th century who is stuck in a traditional female role while she longs for fame and recognition. She was unable to participate in debates with men due to her gender and would not be given the same respect that her male peers would garner. She would go on to write novels and publish them in her name. Something that was unheard of for her time. She would gather attention from it, negative and positive. Margaret’s gender hindered her from debates and intellectual experiences that she wished to participate in but could not. An example of Margaret’s gender blocking her from participating in debates is when we see her interact in a male-dominated debate, the room becomes completely silent, and everyone is stunned that she spoke up (42). The silence reflects that men were not prepared for a woman to "step out of line." Women were not allowed...

  Though Danielle Dutton’s novel Margaret the First is based in the 17th century, much of the novel ties into the contemporary issues of the 21st century. Margaret Cavendish as a character represents the struggle to be seen and heard in a predominantly male field of study. As a writer in that era, Margaret was vastly outnumbered by men who had been able to receive education in reading, writing, spelling, and grammar (66). This disadvantage leads her to be mocked by her readers, to which Margaret says it is against a woman’s nature to be able to spell correctly (68). Already, Margaret has more hurdles to overcome than any male writer. While women today have more access to an education than they did in the 17th century, there are still many disadvantages faced in male-dominated fields. For example, women are often belittled for their intelligence based completely on how they appear. The stereotype of being a “dumb blonde” has circulated throughout educational institutions for decades...

Danielle Dutton's Margaret the First is a vibrant exploration of the life of Margaret Cavendish, an unconventional writer and thinker in 17th-century England. What immediately stands out is Dutton's portrayal of Margaret’s fierce independence and her desire to be known for her intellect, which was rare for a woman of her time. Through Margaret’s voice, the novel dives into her passion for writing, even though society largely shunned her for it. Margaret’s need to create and express herself reminded me of how vital it is for people to follow their own passions, regardless of societal expectations. Margaret’s struggle with fame is another interesting theme. She doesn’t just want attention; she wants to be taken seriously as a writer, which is difficult in a world that trivializes her work. The novel emphasizes her loneliness in this pursuit, even within her marriage. Her husband, though supportive, can’t fully understand her drive to write. Margaret feels that writing is a part o...

In Flight Behavior , Barbara Kingsolver tackles the pressing issue of climate change through the eyes of Dellarobia Turnbow, a woman in rural Appalachia who discovers an astonishing migration of monarch butterflies to her mountainside. The butterflies, which would typically set course for Mexico, have diverted to her Tennessee home—a phenomenon rooted in environmental disruption. This miraculous sight ignites a flurry of wonder and worry, with scientists warning of the disaster that has forced the butterflies from their natural habitat. Kingsolver uses Dellarobia’s discovery to illustrate the often-overlooked impacts of climate change on both people and wildlife, especially in economically disadvantaged communities. Dellarobia, like many in her town, initially has little understanding of climate science. As she learns about the butterflies’ plight, she also gains insight into the broader environmental issues affecting her world—droughts, extreme weather, and shifting ecosystems that al...

       In her novel, The Rabbit Hutch , Tess Gunty delves into the consequences of seemingly beneficial revitalization and urban planning projects in a decaying, post-industrial town. Blandine Watkins, the protagonist of the novel, grows up in Vacca Vale, Indiana, bouncing from one foster home to the next. For her whole life, she is surrounded by the skeletal remains of a local automobile plant, closed down and left to rot after its mid-twentieth century heyday. Describing Vacca Vale’s current state, Gunty wrote, “Empty factories, empty neighborhoods, empty promises, empty faces. Contagious emptiness that infects every inhabitant”(Gunty 295). The dreariness of the city was reflected in the faces of the people who were forgotten, many of them feeling alone, like Blandine. The automobile plant was an important part of Vacca Vale’s industry and economy, and its closure forced many locals into unemployment, struggling to find other nearby jobs and slipping under the pove...

In Flight Behavior, Kingsolver uses the media and class to define and structure ideas of climate change throughout the novel. She tells the story of Dellarobia and how her sighting of butterflies led to her journey of climate change activism. In the novel , she encounters many different people with different approaches and ideas about what climate change is or isn't. This divide in the ideas about climate change is often implemented by using characters of different class backgrounds and how their use and intake of media alters their own ideas.  The media plays a substantial role in how Dellarobia and the people of Feathertown view climate change. Dellarobia is able to see the butterflies in her town, giving her first-hand understanding of the effects of climate change and initially solidifying that it is real. This discovery brings in tourists and reporters who elevate the media coverage of climate change. In chapter two Kingsolver writes, “The last generation's worst fears bec...

     Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behavior provides a new perspective on how one's social class can shape their concerns, particularly about broad social issues such as climate change. The novel reflects on the tension that exists between social reform and the everyday struggles of working-class adults. Kingsolver utilizes Dellarobia’s perspective to illustrate that for those living in poverty, long-term global issues often take a backseat to immediate survival.      One central theme in Flight Behavior is the misconception that those who dismiss climate change do so out of stubbornness or arrogance. Kingsolver challenges this idea by highlighting the physical conditions that shape the town’s viewpoints and ideas. Dellarobia and countless others in their Appalachian community struggle with economic insecurity on a daily basis. When people are struggling to survive and put food on the table, debates about environmental reform can feel irrelevant.   ...

      Climate change is a theme throughout the novel "Flight Behavior". The effects of climate change are illustrated through the heavy rainfalls and the butterflies. Through Kingsolver's characters we see many different perspectives on this topic portrayed. Some are highly religious such as Cub and his family, while others are scientists such as Ovid Byron and Pete. Dellarobia seems to represent both religious and scientific people, and both climate change skeptics and climate change believers.       Although the degree of Dellarobia's religious faith is somewhat unclear, she is often quoting bible verses or making comparisons to biblical events. She does this especially during the first part of the book as it is the only way she knows to describe strange things that are happening. When she first encounters the butterflies it reminded her of the burning bush in the Bible as "Moses came to mind, and Ezekiel, words from Scripture that occ...

In the novel Flight Behavior, Barbara Kingsolver tells the story of Dellarobia Turnbow, a farm wife who, when seeking temporary escape from her domestic situation, discovers what appears to be a “lake of fire” on her family’s property. She later learns that this scene is a swarm of monarch butterflies, a phenomenon that ultimately serves as a symbol of climate change and environmental upheaval. Through the lens of Dellarobia’s life and interactions with other characters, Kingsolver explores how social class influences one’s perception of climate change and sense of social responsibility. Dellarobia and her family represent the working-class perspective on climate change, where immediate, day-to-day survival concerns overshadow any engagement with environmental issues.   In the novel, people from Dellarobia’s socioeconomic background often dismiss climate change as a distant, irrelevant issue. Even after working alongside scientist Ovid Byron, Dellarobia says, “The environment go...

In Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behavior, many of the characters’ disbelief in climate change stems from a complex mix of cultural, social, and economic factors that shape their understanding of the world. Set in rural Tennessee, the novel demonstrates how people’s worldviews are influenced by community values, religious beliefs, economic hardships, and a lack of access to scientific knowledge. Through characters like Dellarobia and her neighbors, Kingsolver sheds light on why many Americans do refuse to believe in climate change. One of the main reasons for disbelief in Feathertown is cultural. The community is skeptical of ideas that come from outside their close-knit circle. For mar them, climate change is an irrelevant and abstract scientific concept. Dellarobia states, “People didn’t want to believe that things they couldn’t see could be real. They trusted in what they could touch: family, faith, friends, church” (Kingsolver 122). Climate change is presented as a distant and intang...