Henry Harland, the man behind the pseudonym of Robert Shews, is praised for his contributions to The Yellow Book and for his other books such as “The Lady Paramount” and “The Cardinal’s Snuff Box” (New Books: The Lady Paramount 1). His stories are described as charming, usually centering women of titled status (1). As literary editor he began to publish near equal amounts of female and male contributors by Volume 4 of The Yellow Book (Hughes 14). Needless to say, he had no outward negative opinions of New Women, whose pieces he decided to publish. Since many of these works concerned female sexuality or independence, Harland would be assumed to support this message or at least not to publicly criticize it. The fictional short story, “The Elsingfords” therefore confuses the reader upon discovery that Shews is actually in fact Henry Harland. The story depicts a most terrible representation of its female main character.

The story bashes marriage, female dominance, America, and England all at once. The only answer one could propose for the oddity of the gender relations shown and the overt stereotyping is that the story is a satirical narrative. Hennie Blecks name alone seems ripe with exaggerated negative connotations; Hennie meaning “resembling a hen or a rooster that acts like a hen” (Collins English Dictionary) and bleck meaning “black grease” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Hennie is accused of “hen-pecking” in the story and is the dominant figure in the marriage, making all the decisions, being social without her husband, and constantly reiterating that he “be a man” (Harland 119). There is a reversal of domesticity in the story, as Hennie is always with her American friends and Herbert, being sick, is isolated and never leaves the house or his bedroom, never seeing anyone. Hence, he takes the “female domestic” role and she inhabits the “male social” role (Hamlet & Wiggins 710). There are multiple instances in which Herbert is considered feminine and Hennie as the masculine one who is feared. Harland’s entire story revolves around the dislike and consequences of Hennie’s loudness, crudeness, opinions, and lack of domesticity. This paints a severe image of a New Woman, who is more independent, opinionated, liberated, and involved in social and cultural projects than men (Bell 83). Harland seems to be making a satire of the extreme oppositions to New Women by accentuating all the qualities that are feared by those who do not support it.