Abstract
In the eighteenth century, coldness was defined, on the one hand, in relation to the body and the senses (a body that is lacking in heat) and on the other, to emotion (an individual lacking in passion). It was linked to illness and disability (Turner, 2012), equated to death, seen as both a cause and effect of physical decline and older age, and used as a synonym for low libido and infertility (Toulalan, 2015). In contrast to these negative connotations, coldness was also regarded as a remedy to temper the passions and to ensure longevity (Yallop, 2015), and taking cold baths and walking in the cold air were considered intellectually invigorating activities by some physicians (Buchan, 1769).
In 1796, the essayist and translator Eliza Hayley (b.1750-1797) published her first and only original work: The Triumph of Acquaintance over Friendship: an Essay for the Times. In the dedication that prefaces this text, Hayley recurrently uses concepts related to coldness as an allegory for her state of mind. She portrays herself as lethargic and apathetic as a consequence of a cold and long winter spent in social semi-isolation in a rural setting, and the self-presentation that emerges is enhanced by her metaphorical usage of nature imagery. Hayley likens her mental state to the inertness of animals and plants in the colder seasons, suggesting that her depressed spirits are due to a lack of intellectual activity, and as such, she reveals her plan to turn to the intellectual stimulus that essay writing provides to dissipate her lethargy—a plan that she puts into practice with the philosophical essay that follows this dedication. In parallel, when writing about her, Hayley’s estranged husband William employs coldness exclusively in connection to her body and her alleged lack of passion, thus reducing Hayley to her biological self, and disregarding the intellectual dimension of her person. From his point of view, Hayley is exclusively a wife and a sexual partner; and he finds her lacking in both these roles. For William, coldness represents Hayley’s biological and social failure. This interpretation was widespread: research has revealed partial portrayals of Hayley authored by reviewers and acquaintances in which coldness and warmth are similarly used to describe Hayley in pejorative terms, undermining the author’s self-presentation as a philosopher and intellectual.
With this in mind, this article argues that Hayley turns around the connotations of coldness in her writing, redefining the concept as a key element in her intellectual life. It juxtaposes the author’s use of coldness as an intimate exercise of self-presentation and self-assertion with other portrayals of her in which coldness and warmth are used to delegitimise her. Further, it suggests that the analysis of Hayley’s engagement with coldness uncovers an exercise of self-presentation that, in retrospect, gives the author back agency in her public portrayal. Thus, this article addresses the dual conceptualization of coldness (physical and intellectual) in the eighteenth century and the gender dynamics it exposes: How does Hayley balance emotion and reason through the idea of coldness in her writing? How is the author’s own body used to delegitimize her intellectual and personal identity, and how does she assert her standing by the same means? Through the lens of gender and age studies, this article analyses references to coldness and warmth in excerpts from Hayley’s (largely unexplored) textual corpus: the paratext and text to The Triumph as well as her unpublished manuscript correspondence, and contrasts them to excerpts from other portrayals of Hayley, including William’s letters and poetry, Anna Seward’s correspondence, and the reviews to her work in The Analytical Review and The Monthly Review.
Keywords
Eliza Hayley, Age studies, The Triumph of Acquaintance over Friendship, William Hayley, women's sexuality, women's intellectual history, life writing, eighteenth century women's writing
Recommended Citation
Blanch-Serrat, Francesca
(2025)
"The Gendered Duality of Coldness in the Portrayals of Eliza Hayley,"
ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830: Vol.15: Iss.2, Article 7.
http://doi.org/10.5038/2157-7129.15.2.1397
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/abo/vol15/iss2/7
Included in
Dramatic Literature, Criticism and Theory Commons, History of Gender Commons, Intellectual History Commons, Literature in English, British Isles Commons, Medical Humanities Commons, Women's History Commons, Women's Studies Commons
