The Gendered Sexualities of Beardsley and Dowie in The Yellow Book
Benjamin Kent
Ryerson University
The Repentance of Mrs. ****
Aubrey Beardsley
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In
presenting the scene the way he does, Beardsley may be trying to push a
narrative of femininity that goes beyond the biblical dichotomy of the virginal
mother and the whore. This can be seen in the chaste dress of those present in
the scene, which debunks the whore narrative, while the title revokes the
virginal mother card, for that role is not supposed to have any sins for which
to repent. |
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It
is intriguing to juxtapose this depiction of the female, repentant for her
sins, with the representation of Menie Muriel Dowie, whose work was frequently
published in The Yellow Book under Beardsley’s reign. Certainly, none of her
works speak to a thematic quality of repentance or looking for forgiveness.
Rather, Dowie is defiant in the face of the expectations of her time. |
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Beardsley’s censoring of the female name in his piece’s title is
something that is not unique to his artwork. In his personal correspondence to
and about his female companion(s), their names are similarily censored with
asterisks. One must ask then, if this is because their status as women is
shameful, or if Beardsley in his capacity as a powerful man seeks to protect
their feminine mystique and innocence. The idea of Beardsley seeking to
protect the womens’ identity is reinforced by the foreward to a compilation of
his letters by Reverand John Gray. Though inevitably biased by his
relationship with the artist, he notes that Beardsley was “utterly devoid of
any malevolence towards his fellow-creatures” and that “he had in his nature a
great possibility of affection, if personal timidity or sensitiveness baulked
its expression” (Beardsley, V).
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The Yellow Book Volume Four
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However,
harsh reviews of the volume of The Yellow Book in which The Repentance of
Mrs.**** appears condemn the indecency and blatant nudity contained within the
periodical (A Yellow Indecency). Interpreting this review could be taken in two directions, with one
suggesting Beardsley’s periodicals were simply ahead of their times, and the
other that he was exploiting the female form for publicity.
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