Felicity In A Great And Terrible Beauty

Would someone today want to follow rules requiring them to be chaste, compliant, and dainty, like women of the Victorian Era? If followed, these instructions can cause people’s uniquity to be primarily defined in class, station, or beauty, and it can become hard to unravel the true intentions of others. Most Victorian women are proper as they are expected to be throughout their upbringing, but there always are exceptions. In Libba Bray’s fantasy novel, A Great and Terrible Beauty, Felicity is more than what she might want others to view her as. Felicity Worthington is distinctive in comparison to the typical woman of the Victorian Era as shown through her appetite for power, bold individuality, and heartless demeanour.

In the course of the

Foremost, she is unreserved when she puts pressure on her friends. This is made clear when she is demanding of Ann to drink whisky, even though Ann shows great discomfort. Rather than remaining calm as one would, she threatens Ann with their friendship on the line if she does not follow through. This is an abnormal trait of hers that Felicity would surely hide from suitors. Furthermore, Felicity daringly manipulates people through overdramatic actions. Mrs. Nightwing is fooled by her confidence after Felicity is nearly caught by the lake in the woods with Ithal. When Gemma and Felicity listen to Mrs. Nightwing warn them about the dangers of being in the woods, Felicity feels the need to respond: “I’m sure we’re both grateful for your good advice” (Bray 116). Saying it only because it is what Mrs. Nightwing wants to hear, she lacks the authenticity requested of her from adults to be proper. Also, Felicity explicitly talks about scandalous topics to others; inappropriate communication from ladies is disapproved of during her time, especially with strangers. The first night after the new Order is formed, Felicity decrees that she shall have many men during her lifetime to the group—containing Gemma and Ann, two girls she barely knows at the time. Lacking a permanent filter of courtesy, Felicity may try to seem polite to the public, but cannot shy it away from her

In A Great and Terrible Beauty, a novel by Libba Bray, Felicity’s characteristics impact the group of girls; her peculiarity both brings the girls together and tears them apart. She disregards the notion of submitting to a state of dainty, pure compliance like most people do now. Women today should take advantage of the privileges they have, accept themselves as they are, and not let stereotypes get in their way as they pursue