The Female Quixote

“I command him to live, if he can live without Hope.”

From the earliest pages of the novel, Arabella shows her delusion about how the world works. For most people, romantic notions such as chivalry and honor are pleasant but ultimately fictional. For Arabella, such ideas are a matter of life and death. Her hyperbolic statement here shows that she believes that her word has the power of life and death over others, creating tension and friction when others confront these delusions.

“Which she attributed to some new Design he had formed to obtain her.”

Mr. Hervey is driven away by Arabella’s demands and delusions. Though he leaves under his own volition, Arabella cannot entertain the idea that he might not be conforming to her expectations. Her devotion to French romances helps her to devise a workable explanation for his departure; rather than admit that she might be wrong, Mr. Hervey is simply retreating to regroup. She is convinced that he fits the archetype of a suitor and cannot admit that she is wrong.

“Arabella eagerly opened the Letter; and, finding it in a Style so different from what she expected, her Dislike of him returned with more Violence than ever.”

When Arabella reads the letter from Mr. Glanville, she is angry at the style. The content means relatively little to her; the real outrage is that the world is not conforming to her romantic expectations.