“The Repentance of Mrs. ****” and “My Note-Book in the Weald”, by Aubrey Beardsley and Ménie Muriel Dowie, respectively, are both reflections of their creator’s perceptions of gender norms and roles in the late 1800s. The pair were both known for their public lives, which at the time were quite salacious (Adams 313).

Ménie's Rebellion Against the Patriarchy

Dowie has been noted for her refusal to comply with gendered expectations during the period in which she was active.
     This lack of submission to patriarchal values of womanhood is visible in M. Fletcher's 1891 image of Ménie Muriel Dowie (at left). The image presents a very masculine image of the author striking an assertive pose dressed in traditionally male clothing. The foot resting atop a rock points to her dominance, while her short hair and unfeminine garb make a strong case for Dowie as an independent woman.
      This is reflected in her writing throughout “My Note-Book in the Weald”, which is notable for the lack of a male protagonist. It is the tale of Menie’s travels that does not yield to a male gaze, nor make a love interest its sole focus. Indeed, she travels through the pages without the aid of a male escort in defiance of the presumptions of femininity during the time period. Dowie’s stance in her autobiographical “My Note-Book in the Weald” against traditional gender norms is found throughout her body of work. Gallia, arguably her most well-known work, presents a similar vision of womanhood. As Leluan-Parker makes note, the text demands the removal of expectations on female behavior and the idealization of “female nature” in order to separate from “clouds of tradition, supserstition, and legend” (17).