Workman, Emily

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Marquette Universitye-Publications@MarquetteGothic Archive Supplemental Materials forChapbooks Gothic Archive1-1-2014History of Zoa [supplemental materials]Emily WorkmanMarquette UniversityAccess full work.History	  of	  Zoa	  	  1	  	  History	  of	  Zoa,	  by	  an	  unknown	  author.	  	  Contents	  MLA	  Citation	  ................................................................................................................................................................	  1	  MLA	  Citation	  from	  the	  Gothic	  Archive	  .......................................................................................................................	  2	  Full	  Title	  .......................................................................................................................................................................	  2	  Summary	  .....................................................................................................................................................................	  2	  Constellation	  of	  Knowledge/Historical	  Context	  .......................................................................................................	  2	  Key	  Words	  ...................................................................................................................................................................	  3	  Banyan	  .....................................................................................................................................................................	  3	  Bombay/India	  .........................................................................................................................................................	  3	  British	  Nationalism/English	  Nationalism	  .............................................................................................................	  4	  Christian	  ..................................................................................................................................................................	  4	  Colonialism	  ..............................................................................................................................................................	  4	  East	  India	  Company	  ................................................................................................................................................	  4	  Eighteenth	  Century	  .................................................................................................................................................	  4	  Empire/Imperial	  .....................................................................................................................................................	  4	  Interpreter	  ...............................................................................................................................................................	  4	  Interracial	  Marriage	  ................................................................................................................................................	  4	  Lady’s	  Drawing	  Room	  .............................................................................................................................................	  4	  Merchant	  ..................................................................................................................................................................	  4	  Pagan	  .......................................................................................................................................................................	  5	  Race	  ..........................................................................................................................................................................	  5	  Rodomond	  ...............................................................................................................................................................	  5	  Zoa	  ............................................................................................................................................................................	  5	  Bibliography	  of	  Related	  Information	  .........................................................................................................................	  5	  	  MLA	  Citation	  The	  History	  of	  Zoa,	  the	  beautiful	  Indian,	  daughter	  of	  Henrietta	  de	  Bellgrave:	  And	  of	  Rodomond,	  whom	  Zoa	  releases	  from	  confinement,	  and	  with	  him	  makes	  her	  escape	  from	  her	  father,	  who	  was	  the	  occasion	  of	  Rodomond's	  imprisonment	  and	  dreadful	  sufferings.	  To	  which	  is	  added	  the	  memoirs	  of	  Lucy	  Harris,	  a	  foundling,	  who,	  at	  sixteen	  years	  of	  age,	  was	  discovered	  to	  be	  daughter	  to	  the	  countess	  of	  B—	  a	  true	  story.	  Sabine	  &	  Son,	  Shoelane,	  Fleet	  Street:	  London,	  c.	  1800.	  History	  of	  Zoa	  	  2	  	  MLA	  Citation	  from	  the	  Gothic	  Archive	  The	  History	  of	  Zoa,	  the	  beautiful	  Indian,	  daughter	  of	  Henrietta	  de	  Bellgrave:	  And	  of	  Rodomond,	  whom	  Zoa	  releases	  from	  confinement,	  and	  with	  him	  makes	  her	  escape	  from	  her	  father,	  who	  was	  the	  occasion	  of	  Rodomond's	  imprisonment	  and	  dreadful	  sufferings.	  To	  which	  is	  added	  the	  memoirs	  of	  Lucy	  Harris,	  a	  foundling,	  who,	  at	  sixteen	  years	  of	  age,	  was	  discovered	  to	  be	  daughter	  to	  the	  countess	  of	  B—	  a	  true	  story.	  Published	  c.	  1800.	  E-­‐Publications	  Marquette.	  The	  Gothic	  Archive,	  Marquette	  University,	  Wisconsin.	  http://epublications.marquette.edu/english_gothic/30/.	  Accessed	  9/16/13.	  Web.	  Full	  Title	  The	  History	  of	  Zoa,	  the	  beautiful	  Indian,	  daughter	  of	  Henrietta	  de	  Bellgrave:	  And	  of	  Rodomond,	  whom	  Zoa	  releases	  from	  confinement,	  and	  with	  him	  makes	  her	  escape	  from	  her	  father,	  who	  was	  the	  occasion	  of	  Rodomond's	  imprisonment	  and	  dreadful	  sufferings.	  To	  which	  is	  added	  the	  memoirs	  of	  Lucy	  Harris,	  a	  foundling,	  who,	  at	  sixteen	  years	  of	  age,	  was	  discovered	  to	  be	  daughter	  to	  the	  countess	  of	  B—	  a	  true	  story.	  Summary	  This	  story	  is	  told	  by	  an	  unnamed	  narrator	  to	  a	  woman	  his	  calls	  “Madam.”	  The	  narrator	  begins	  by	  explaining	  that	  Rodomond	  is	  the	  child	  of	  his	  longtime	  friend,	  whose	  untimely	  death	  left	  his	  three	  children,	  including	  Rodomond,	  penniless.	  Consequently,	  the	  narrator	  took	  the	  boys	  under	  his	  care,	  and	  Rodomond	  grew	  into	  a	  successful	  interpreter	  for	  the	  East	  India	  Company	  in	  Bombay.	  While	  there,	  Rodomond	  eventually	  became	  an	  enemy	  of	  the	  natives	  because	  he	  demanded	  fair	  business	  practices.	  One	  day,	  Rodomond	  was	  kidnapped	  by	  five	  mercenaries	  for	  “the	  banyan,”	  a	  powerful	  local.	  Luckily,	  the	  Banyan’s	  daughter,	  Zoa,	  heard	  of	  her	  father’s	  plot,	  and	  she	  freed	  Rodomond	  in	  exchange	  for	  his	  promise	  to	  leave	  India	  and	  take	  her	  with	  him,	  and	  to	  never	  exact	  revenge	  on	  her	  father.	  Rodomond	  complies,	  and	  he	  and	  Zoa	  left	  India	  on	  the	  next	  boat.	  They	  fell	  in	  love	  on	  the	  voyage	  to	  England,	  where	  Rodomond	  taught	  Zoa	  English	  and	  Christianity.	  Upon	  arriving	  in	  England,	  Rodomond	  went	  to	  the	  narrator,	  seeking	  his	  approval	  in	  marrying	  Zoa.	  Once	  Zoa’s	  conversion	  to	  Christianity	  was	  secured,	  the	  narrator	  approved	  of	  the	  union,	  and	  Rodomond	  and	  Zoa	  were	  married.	  As	  the	  narrator	  concludes,	  he	  assures	  the	  listener	  that	  Rodomond	  and	  Zoa	  are	  living	  under	  his	  roof,	  and	  that	  everyone	  is	  very	  happy	  with	  the	  union.	  Constellation	  of	  Knowledge/Historical	  Context	  Both	  this	  chapbook	  and	  its	  companion	  piece,	  Henrietta	  de	  Bellgrave,	  come	  from	  a	  novel	  entitled	  The	  Lady’s	  Drawing	  Room,	  which	  was	  first	  printed	  in	  London	  in	  1743	  (according	  to	  a	  record	  in	  The	  Daily	  Advertiser)	  and	  then	  reprinted	  in	  London,	  Dublin,	  and	  London	  again	  in	  1744,	  1746,	  and	  1748,	  respectively.	  The	  full	  eighteenth	  century	  editions	  are	  rare	  today,	  but	  there	  was	  one	  final	  printing	  centuries	  later	  in	  1974	  by	  Garland	  Publishing,	  and	  the	  book	  is	  currently	  available	  via	  on-­‐demand	  printing	  through	  Gale	  ECCO.	  The	  novel	  contains	  a	  pastiche	  of	  stories	  told	  by	  a	  group	  of	  titled	  ladies	  and	  gentlemen	  in	  an	  aristocrat’s	  drawing	  History	  of	  Zoa	  	  3	  	  room,	  and	  the	  Preface	  claims	  that	  the	  stories	  are	  meant	  to	  provide	  an	  accurate	  depiction	  of	  the	  world	  for	  the	  reader.	  These	  stories	  are	  relayed	  in	  assorted	  formats	  and	  told	  from	  various	  points	  of	  view—there	  are	  stories	  told	  from	  experience,	  hearsay,	  and	  read	  aloud	  from	  chapbooks	  and	  letters.	  The	  story	  of	  Zoa	  and	  Rodomond	  is	  told	  in	  the	  first	  chapter,	  and	  it	  leads	  to	  the	  Henrietta	  de	  Bellgrave	  story	  in	  the	  third	  chapter,	  which	  can	  also	  be	  found	  in	  this	  archive.	  After	  its	  inclusion	  in	  The	  Lady’s	  Drawing	  Room	  in	  the	  1740s,	  the	  story	  of	  Zoa	  was	  printed	  as	  a	  chapbook	  by	  Sabine	  &	  Son	  on	  Shoe	  Lane,	  Fleet	  Street	  in	  1800	  (according	  to	  the	  records	  at	  the	  British	  Public	  Library).	  In	  this	  edition,	  the	  story	  was	  followed	  by	  the	  tale	  of	  Lucy	  Harris,	  but	  in	  subsequent	  versions	  (printed	  by	  Dean	  &	  Munday	  of	  Threeneedlestreet,	  London)	  Zoa’s	  story	  was	  paired	  with	  a	  Russian	  tale	  called	  Lisette	  and	  Login.	  As	  there	  doesn’t	  appear	  to	  be	  any	  thematic	  connection	  between	  Zoa’s	  tale	  and	  the	  stories	  included	  in	  each	  version	  of	  the	  chapbook,	  it	  may	  be	  safe	  to	  conclude	  that	  these	  supplements	  were	  chosen	  for	  their	  length,	  as	  chapbook	  printing	  relied	  upon	  certain	  length	  requirements.	  The	  popularity	  of	  Zoa’s	  story	  is	  evident,	  though,	  as	  Roxann	  Wheeler	  reports	  that	  both	  Henrietta	  and	  Zoa	  were	  “printed	  separately	  in	  chapbooks	  and	  as	  single	  pamphlets	  until	  the	  1830s”	  (Wheeler	  320).	  Despite	  this	  popularity,	  the	  story	  of	  Zoa	  has	  received	  very	  little	  critical	  attention	  to	  date,	  with	  only	  one	  article	  in	  print,	  Roxann	  Wheeler’s	  “The	  Complexion	  of	  Desire:	  Racal	  Ideology	  and	  Mid-­‐Eighteenth-­‐Century	  British	  Novel,”	  that	  analyzes	  it	  in	  any	  depth.	  The	  novel	  it	  came	  from,	  The	  Lady’s	  Drawing	  Room,	  has	  also	  gone	  largely	  unnoticed	  by	  the	  scholarly	  community,	  with	  just	  one	  line	  dedicated	  to	  it	  in	  Jerry	  C.	  Beasley’s	  Novels	  of	  the	  1740s.	  Despite	  this	  seeming	  disinterest	  by	  scholars,	  the	  Zoa	  story	  has	  much	  to	  offer	  any	  study	  of	  “the	  importance	  of	  Christianity	  to	  European	  identity”	  (Wheeler	  321).	  It	  also	  has	  much	  to	  offer	  in	  regards	  to	  race	  relations,	  as	  Rodomond’s	  and	  Zoa’s	  happy	  union	  is	  an	  example	  of	  the	  bliss	  that	  is	  attainable	  if	  Christianity	  is	  the	  basis	  for	  an	  interracial	  marriage.	  However,	  as	  Wheeler	  points	  out,	  the	  text	  gives	  its	  reader	  a	  storyline	  engaged	  in	  the	  act	  of	  “purging	  the	  significance	  of	  [Zoa’s]	  color”	  through	  several	  narrative	  moves.	  For	  instance,	  Zoa	  goes	  from	  being	  disguised	  as	  a	  slave	  to	  being	  transported	  by	  changing	  into	  genteel,	  English	  clothing	  (321).	  Ultimately,	  Zoa’s	  suitability	  is	  determined	  by	  her	  espousal	  of	  Christianity,	  which	  solidifies	  the	  hierarchal	  values	  of	  a	  text	  that	  lauds	  religion	  above	  all	  else,	  even	  viewing	  it	  as	  a	  force	  that	  can	  unite	  races	  in	  marital	  harmony.	  Overall,	  in	  its	  complex	  representation	  of	  religion,	  race,	  and	  marriage,	  the	  story	  of	  Zoa	  is	  an	  essential	  text	  for	  anyone	  considering	  how	  these	  topics	  are	  represented	  in	  popular	  18th	  century	  literature.	  Key	  Words	  Banyan	  Description	  forthcoming.	  Bombay/India	  Description	  forthcoming.	  History	  of	  Zoa	  	  4	  	  British	  Nationalism/English	  Nationalism	  Description	  forthcoming.	  	  Christian	  Christianity	  is	  both	  very	  much	  present	  and	  absent	  in	  Gothic	  literature.	  In	  Dracula,	  religion	  features	  prominently	  in	  the	  fight	  against	  the	  vampire	  –	  Van	  Helsing,	  Harker	  and	  Mina	  frequently	  invoke	  the	  name	  of	  God	  for	  supernatural	  and	  divine	  aid	  against	  the	  power	  of	  Dracula.	  Yet,	  there	  is	  also	  a	  disturbing	  sense	  that	  God	  is	  strangely	  absent,	  or	  at	  best,	  distant,	  within	  the	  novel.	  God’s	  power	  seems	  limited	  –	  captured	  and	  contained	  within	  material	  shapes	  and	  symbols	  such	  as	  the	  Host,	  Indulgences,	  and	  the	  Crucifix.	  The	  men	  who	  hunt	  down	  Dracula	  are	  dependent	  on	  the	  trappings	  of	  religion	  without	  true	  substance.	  Christianity	  thus	  becomes	  reduced	  to	  transferable	  property.	  God	  is	  also	  sidelined	  in	  Mary	  Shelley’s	  Frankenstein.	  On	  one	  hand,	  while	  Biblical	  allusions	  to	  God	  as	  Creator	  abound	  in	  the	  novel,	  it	  is	  always	  in	  juxtaposition	  to	  the	  transgression	  of	  Victor	  Frankenstein	  as	  the	  mad	  scientist.	  Again,	  God	  is	  invoked	  only	  when	  an	  immediate	  threat	  is	  identified,	  as	  Victor	  laments	  and	  appeals	  to	  God	  to	  grant	  him	  the	  strength	  to	  defeat	  and	  destroy	  his	  monster.	  Christianity	  as	  the	  dominant	  religion	  in	  nineteenth	  century	  England	  was	  thoroughly	  interrogated	  and	  questioned,	  its	  beliefs	  in	  an	  Almighty	  God	  challenged	  as	  science	  and	  technology	  assumed	  prominence.	  Gothic	  authors,	  themselves	  questioning	  the	  relevance	  of	  religion,	  foregrounded	  these	  issues	  by	  presenting	  Christianity	  in	  a	  dubious	  light	  –	  present,	  but	  altogether	  powerless,	  shallow	  and	  somewhat	  deficient.	  Source:	  Fong,	  Minghui.	  "Gothic	  Keywords."	  http://courses.nus.edu.sg/course/ellgohbh/gothickeywords.html.	  Last	  Updated	  2006.	  Last	  Accessed	  9/16/2013.	  Web.	  Colonialism	  Description	  forthcoming.	  East	  India	  Company	  Description	  forthcoming.	  Eighteenth	  Century	  Description	  forthcoming.	  Empire/Imperial	  Description	  forthcoming.	  Interpreter	  Description	  forthcoming.	  Interracial	  Marriage	  Description	  forthcoming.	  Lady’s	  Drawing	  Room	  Description	  forthcoming.	  Merchant	  Description	  forthcoming.	  History	  of	  Zoa	  	  5	  	  Pagan	  Description	  forthcoming.	  Race	  Description	  forthcoming.	  Rodomond	  Description	  forthcoming.	  Zoa	  Description	  forthcoming.	  Bibliography	  of	  Related	  Information	  Beasley,	  Jerry	  C.	  Novels	  of	  the	  1740s.	  U	  of	  Georgia	  P:	  Athens,	  GA.	  1982.	  “Classified	  Listings.”	  Daily	  Advertiser	  [London,	  England]	  2	  Nov.	  1743,	  Issue	  3991.	  17th-­‐18th	  Century	  Burney	  Collection	  Newspapers.	  Web.	  20	  November	  2013.	  The	  Lady’s	  Drawing	  Room.	  Being	  a	  Faithfull	  Picture	  of	  the	  Great	  World.	  In	  which	  the	  various	  Humours	  of	  both	  Sexes	  are	  display’d.	  Drawn	  from	  the	  Life	  and	  Interspers’d	  with	  entertaining	  and	  affecting	  Novels.	  M.	  Cooper	  &	  A.	  Dodd,	  near	  Essex-­‐street,	  in	  the	  Strand:	  London,	  c.	  1744.	  The	  True	  and	  Affecting	  History	  of	  Henrietta	  de	  Bellgrave;	  A	  Woman	  Born	  Only	  for	  Calamities.	  Being	  an	  Unhappy	  Daughter,	  Wretched	  Wife,	  and	  Unfortunate	  Mother;	  Containing	  a	  Series	  of	  the	  Most	  Uncommon	  Adventures	  that	  Ever	  Befel	  One	  Person	  by	  Sea	  and	  Land.	  	   Birmingham,	  England:	  S.	  Martin,	  c.	  1805.	  Wheeler,	  Roxann.	  "The	  Complexion	  of	  Desire:	  Racial	  Ideology	  and	  Mid-­‐Eighteenth-­‐Century	  British	  Novels."	  Eighteenth-­‐Century	  Studies	  32.3	  (1999):	  309-­‐332.	  	  	  	  

History of Zoa [supplemental materials]

https://epublications.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&amp;context=english_gothicsupp

History of Zoa [supplemental materials]

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