Funny Fanny

Sarah Payson Willis was one of the best-paid and most famous authors at the time. She remains one of the few women of the early 19^th century who was able to support herself from writing, which was highly unusual in such a male-dominant society. Under the pseudonym of “Fanny Fern,” Willis is remembered for her ironic vignettes, or short humorous stories. After all, who could forget a funny name like Fanny Fern? Like her pseudonym, her methods of humor allow readers to quickly engage in the story, absorb the plot with ease and enjoyment, and above all retain the central message. Through humor, Fern tackled tough, controversial issues, such as gender inequality and woman’s suffrage.

A lot of Fern’s writings addressed the injustices in a marriage and the lack of husbands’ appreciation for their wives. For example, in “Aunt Hetty on Matrimony,” Fern employs the comical persona of “Aunt Hetty” to dispel the “glories” of married life. She bluntly states, “Love is a farce; matrimony is a humbug; husbands are domestic Napoleons” (1794).

Similarly, in “Hungry Husbands,” Fern presents cooking as the only essential quality to win a man’s heart. “The straightest road to a man’s heart is through his palate,” she writes. Fern presents men as pigs, both literally and metaphorically.

While the topic of matrimonial inequality filled the lines of a lot of Fern’s vignettes, Fern addresses intellectual inequality in her article, “Male Criticism on Ladies’ Books.” Fern begins this article, in true Fanny Fern style, with a passage from the conventional writings of the day.

“Courtship and marriage, servants and children, these are the great objects of a woman’s thoughts, and they necessarily form the staple topics of their writings and their conversation. We have no right to expect anything else in a woman’s book.”

- N.Y. Times (1799)

While it is difficult today to believe that this quote was printed in the New York Times, it was a common argument women writers had to dispel. Fern not only dispels this familiar male critique, but dismisses it with creative humor. Upon considering the criticism of female literature, Fern paints an imaginative picture of the “snarling critic” as an unhappy man in a dark, old, dusty room, full of filth and cobwebs. He is selfish, alone and un-kissable. She labels him as a wretch, bitter from the refusal of some pretty girl. Although Fern’s words sound equally as harsh, her humorous exaggeration shows that men need women, both physically and intellectually.

Fern also goes on to note that the male critic is not only rude, but also foolish, by discounting his point that men are more intelligent. Fern astutely points out that if men were, in fact more intelligent, they would go about criticizing female novels in a more intelligent manner.

Overall, Fern’s works were funny and enjoyable, yet simultaneously influential and groundbreaking. With Fern’s ironic and sometimes outrageous phrases and metaphors, she opened up the door for women writers in America.

Although we have come a long way concerning women’s rights and gender inequality, thanks to brave, influential writers like Fern, sexist sentiments in society still remain. For example, I believe Sarah Palin was unfairly criticized by the media in the 2008 election. Even as a very smart politician, she was still portrayed as a slow hick from Alaska. Hopefully, contemporary wise writers, like Fanny Fern, can capture readers and continue to dispel gender inequality in today’s society.