Crime, Punishment, and Morality
Professor Janet Todd asserts that many parts of The Fair Jilt reflect Behn's royalist politics[11] as the tale is loosely based off the marriage of François Louis Tarquini and Maria Theresia Van Mechelen and the attempted murder of Van Mechelen's sister, Anna Louisa. In the novella, Tarquin, a prince with dubious royal credentials, is manipulated by Miranda, possibly representative of Behn's interpretation of this marriage and criminal case.[11] Todd's condensed account of this gory history of attempted murder, avarice, and a botched execution falls short of accurately capturing the intricacy of the criminal case or cases that caused such a stir in Antwerp in the middle of the seventeenth century.[12]
Professors J.P. Vander Motten and René Vermeir argue that within the Fair Jilt, Behn often uses the reader's sympathy for the characters against them, causing the reader to morally condemn them.[12] The two argue that this can be seen best "By leaving Alcidiana at the mercy of her ruthless sibling".[12] Additionally, Todd claims that Miranda avoids justice for various crimes within The Fair Jilt, calling into question the themes of punishment and morality, for her original sexual desire soon leads to a desire for power.[11] This in turn is said to lead her to a "perfect state of happiness".[13] Todd names this as a "moral disintegration"[11] connected to the politics of Behn and her time, claiming this inversion of justice represents Behn's opinions on the Glorious Revolution.[11] This morality is challenged by Behn's writings near the end of the Restoration, which emphasizes subjectivity through sexual desire. The author's ethics here describes a woman's desire as aware, powerful, and bound in knowledge of the self, which ultimately comes off as unruly desire.[14]
The Power of Love
As evidenced from the opening paragraph, love in the world of The Fair Jilt is immensely powerful for both good and bad. In the case of Tarquin, we see the negative impacts of the power of love. He is deeply infatuated with Miranda, to the point where he willingly lets her use him as a tool in her varying schemes. He even ultimately takes the punishment for her, only narrowly escaping death due to a botched execution, because he is so enamored with her. [15]
Outside of Tarquin's character, Behn shapes the idea of the power of love by writing about love as something empowering. Although many of Miranda’s actions are undeniably questionable, she uses sex and attraction towards her to her advantage, allowing her to get away with (or at least attempt) her various plans. This was the beginning of what would become typical in women’s amatory fiction-- that is, an exploration of female sexuality, love, and power.[16]
Gender Ideologies
In The Fair Jilt, Aphra Behn creates complex representations of gender largely by subverting traditionally gendered expectations for behavior. The character of Miranda is immoral, decisive and promiscuous, in contrast with the obedient and chaste ideals she’d typically be expected to embody.[17] Furthermore, Behn juxtaposes this characterization of Miranda with various submissive and moral men. Critics argue that Miranda’s manipulation and domination of these men not only empowers the feminine, but satirizes the masculine, by placing Miranda as the pursuer, and men as the pursued.[18]
Other critics have argued that the female narrator further complicates the depictions of gender dynamics in The Fair Jilt by both moralizing against and empathizing with Miranda’s actions.[19] The narrator’s tone often undermines moral condemnation, not fully endorsing the moral system Miranda is violating, nor challenging that system’s existence.[20] By giving control of the narrative to a female voice with questionable morals and values, scholars say Behn raises conversations about the true intentions of complex female characters and the legitimacy of their prescribed roles.[21]
