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18th Century Women:
A Melted Mind & A Fabulous Wardrobe
Courtney Sharpe
Professor Jay Zysk
EEBO Document Paper
September 14, 2012
Jonathan Swift's poem "The Furniture of a Woman's Mind" is a satire harming the
reputation of women and how women are to act in the 18th Century. Throughout, Swift narrates
the events in which a woman, the widowed Mrs. Harding, seems to only care about her physical
attire rather than her cognitive mind. Ironically however, Mrs. Harding utilizes her judgmental
wit against other people's clothing choices, making her appear intellectual after all. According to
the editors of The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Swift reveals how men portray the
"nature of women, distinguish them sharply from men, laugh at their faults, look into their hearts,
and [tell] them how to feel" (Lipking 2766). As a result, Swift notes Mrs. Harding's pride
towards the means of being well dressed, and ultimately knocks her intellect down satirically by
recognizing her ignorance towards the politics of England and by comparing her wit to a man’s.
In the beginning of the poem, Swift immediately begins depleting Mrs. Harding's
waggishness. For example, he claims Mrs. Harding can "never hold her tongue a minute / while
all she prates has nothing in it" (5-6). These lines expose her as chatter box, because she cannot
stop talking for "a minute" and anything she "prates," or speaks excessively (OED) about means
"nothing" or has no true meaning or purpose. Swift is saying that Mrs. Harding enjoys hearing
herself talk, even if she isn't saying anything intellectual. Furthermore, Swift’s intellect can be
observed through the rhyme he conducts in the poem. In addition to explicating Mrs. Harding’s
obnoxious banter, Swift shows her critiquing another’s ensemble. For instance, he declares,
“such hatred to a parson’s gown / the sight would put her in a swoon” (15-16). Here we see Mrs.
Harding disliking the dress on a “parson,” or a clergy of the Anglican church of England (OED).
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Of course, Mrs. Harding disliking the dress of a parson is Swift’s way of adding his own identity
into the poem, because he is a clergyman himself. This attack of the way one dresses would put
Mrs. Harding into a “swoon,” or in a hysterical rapture (OED), is similar to the way England
controls Ireland during this time.
Moreover, Mrs. Harding’s ignorance of the political parties in England is exposed when
she confuses the side she’s defending for the other:
In party, furious to her power;
A bitter Whig, or Tory sour;
Her arguments directly tend
Against the side she would defend;
Will prove herself a Tory plain,
From principles the Whigs maintain;
And, to defend the Whiggish cause,
Her topics from the Tories draws. (49-56)
This passage shows that whether she claims to be a Whig or a Tory, having no knowledge about
the political parties, she ends up defending against who she claims she is. Consequently, when
she claims she’s a Whig, she’s actually discussing the beliefs of a Tory and vice versa. Thus, she
doesn’t know what she stands for, either pro-monarch or anti-monarch. Mrs. Harding’s
witlessness about the country she lives in helps Swift’s argument that women are unaware and in
the dark, regardless of their beauty. Also, these lines in the poem also show Swift’s political
beliefs and cleverness, because he once was a Whig, and then he switched over to the Tories,
which can be observed in the last line of the poem, “God save the king!” (64).
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Furthermore, Mrs. Harding’s wit and fierceness to be “robustious like a man” is
juxtaposed when Swift adds a helpless animal to the picture. The parody arises when “a mouse
creeps in her sight, / [and] finely counterfeit[s] a fright; / so sweetly screams, if it comes near
her” (33-35). As a result, the only simile in the poem is demolished by this comedic statement,
because, women like Mrs. Harding want to act tough like men and be mockingly rude, but is
scared when an innocent mouse appears. Swift illuminates the idea that men aren’t scared of
mice; therefore, men are more threatening than women.
In conclusion, Swift’s poem reveals himself to be a realist, a Tory, and one who cannot
stand the pride and nature of women. He sets the tone of the piece through his satirical points of
view about the ignorance of women, especially Mrs. Harding who only cares about how she is
dressed. The title of the poem lends itself the ultimate message of Swift’s point; that the
“woman’s mind” is only made up of “furniture.” This “furniture” meaning that all women care
about are their physical appearances, diluting their intellect as a result. This is funny for Swift,
and angers him as well, which is why he believes women “must be dragged down to Earth and
have their cosmetics rubbed off” as a result of their undeniable ignorance (Lipking 2766).
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Works Cited
Lipking, Lawrence and James Noggle, eds. The Norton Anthology of English Literature Volume
1C: The Restoration and the Eighteenth Century. New York: Norton, 2012. 2766.
Swift, Jonathan. “The Furniture of a Woman’s Mind.” (1727). EEBO. Web. 5 Sept 2012.