While the text and image have drastically different portrayals of the female plight, both stress the alienation suffered by women as a result of gender ideologies. Specifically, Mrs. Rathbourne and the unnamed woman experience the same estrangement from their loved ones. Although the two women react differently, they are thwarted by the same demand to quell their feelings. Moreover, the text and image capture the futility of their efforts: both female characters are lodged in a standstill. For the woman in “Going to Church”, her inaction begets her isolation. Since Strang is known for his realist style, perhaps he is giving a faithfully reproduction of Victorian life. However, Mrs. Rathbourne, who protests the role thrusted upon her, is not rewarded for her efforts. Given Dixon’s involvement with New Woman literature, why is her story not as empowering as it should be? In both cases, the artists offer an unembellished account of the female experience. Whether the women complied with or revolted against gender ideologies, they did not sugar-coat the unsavory reality: womens' efforts were often fruitless.

Volume IV itself made both positive and negative impressions. One reviewer exalted The Yellow Book’s unflinching “audacity” and “brilliance”, predicting that the magazine will continue to flourish. Another accuses the magazine for its sensationalism and pandering to the audience using shock tactics. However, reviews of The Yellow Book become harsher in the aftermath of the Wilde scandal. The press concocted a relationship between “sodomy and yellow books, decadence and degeneration” (Hughes 856). Embroiled in such conflict, male contributors tried to sanitize the magazine’s sullied reputation with “hypermasculine” content (Hughes 856). Yet, The Yellow Book still suffered from aftershocks in the Volume VI, three months after Wilde’s arrest. A critic yawns at The Yellow Book’s increasing monotony, noting that it “continues to sober down”. Like Dixon, Strang’s work did not merit mention in reviews, even if the subjects were male-dominated.

While men retreated to conservative subject matter, the women were unperturbed by the tumult triggered by Wilde’s scandal. Particularly, female contributors “overtly sustained the journal’s links to decadence” (Hughes 859) by exploring controversial themes. The sixth volume teemed with female submissions that subverted ideal womanhood. For instance, Dollie Radford’s “Song” features a female speaker who is assertive romantic and not a passive sexual object (Hughes 859). Olive Constance’s “A Madrigal” even ventures to the territory of homosexual romance (Hughes 859). In the wake of the Wilde trial, women could undertake topics that were becoming “increasingly dangerous” for men (Leger 7). Moreover, the diminishing male voice provided a contrast to the bold topics women explored. These are the dual contributors to an amplified female voice post-scandal.  Despite the tumultuous months wedged between the fourth and sixth volume, The Yellow Book remained a site for female creations to flourish.

Close examination of "A Thief in the Night" and "Going to Church" illuminated that depictions of Victorian womanhood by both females and males serve their own purpose. Although scholarly material on both Dixon and Strang is scarce, this exhibit hoped to pay homage to their artistry. Furthermore, although the Wilde scandal threw The Yellow Book into disorder, the changes were not without merit. Admittedly, men’s portrayal of women “emphasize piety and the angelic woman” (Hughes 860), but this did not erode the efforts made by women. By contrast, female contributors were emboldened to explore more controversial themes. They capitalized on the chance to assert agency and crafted their own identity through the pen. Certainly, female contributors are indebted to The Yellow Book because it was “an important conduit”. However, the relationship was mutually beneficial. When Oscar Wilde’s scandal abraded The Yellow Book’s vibrancy, women-created content sustained their avante-garde vigor.

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT
Images in this online exhibit are either in the public domain or being used under fair dealing for the purpose of research and are provided solely for the purposes of research, private study, or education.