published in 1798
Issues of conduct and proper behavior come quickly to the surface in The Young Philosopher as George Delmont rejects the upper class society of which he should be a part. His pursuance of an agrarian lifestyle, as opposed to one concerned with the reputation and stature that his name and family heritage would afford, begins the development of his liberty and also society's perception of him as an outcast.
In the first volume, society's primary repulsion towards George Delmont comes as he chooses to avoid his family's aristocratic obligations and privileges. This behavior changes the way he is viewed in mannerly circles; he is no longer a marriageable conquest to young ladies concerned with proper standards of conduct and society's perceptions(1: 121). In addition to his unconventional pursuits, Delmont's interest in philosophy and such pondering is considered by society an unacceptable use of time (1: 156). But, readers are not encouraged to see Delmont's ambitions as a waste, because society's endless restrictions and rules are shown negatively. Additionally, those who chastise George Delmont are characters like, Dr. Winslowe, a prominent man of London society who drops in on the Delmont property quite by accident. Dr. Winslowe is portrayed as dim-witted, and shallow. He is influenced mainly by impressions he makes based on appearances, and he is shown to regard his surroundings without thinking critically. When placed against the strong, positively depicted character of George Delmont, who rejects such members of society, Dr. Winslowe seems to mock himself and the popular opinions of George Delmont with his every utterance.
There are other examples of characters negatively influenced by society when George encounters. Mrs. Winslowe and her cohort Mrs. Crewkhern seem directly opposed to Delmont's lack of pretensions. These two women make a visit to Mrs. Glenmorris, a close friend of Delmont's and each "dressed herself very superbly for a morning visit, in order to awe and impose on those she expected to find... [each] loved ... to be thought very fashionable" (1: 184). Their unnecessary preoccupation with fashion and appearance lead Mrs. Glenmorris to describe their ambitions and objectives as part of a very "narrow sphere of life" (1: 196).
Delmont shares this view of society and it's members with Mrs. Glenmorris as he says,
A man would have in everything else, not only a very ordinary existence, but a very sordid mind, who would give up freedom of that mind to the miserable hope of a legacy..., and I should scorn myself, were I capable of doing it even in indigence; but as I am, though I am far from great affluence, and thought I disclaim many of the ways by which affluence is acquired, I should be indeed a poor and contemptible wretch if I wore such a yoke. (1: 226)
A man would have in everything else, not only a very ordinary existence, but a very sordid mind, who would give up freedom of that mind to the miserable hope of a legacy..., and I should scorn myself, were I capable of doing it even in indigence; but as I am, though I am far from great affluence, and thought I disclaim many of the ways by which affluence is acquired, I should be indeed a poor and contemptible wretch if I wore such a yoke. (1:226)
He finds that the restrictions placed on him by society lead to an unstimulating existence. In addition to his rejection of a polite life, he expresses concern for those possessed by society's expectations; they can only see a false reality made of pettiness and greed. In Medora Glenmorris, Delmont finds a heart which similarly rejects the bonds and restrictions of society. He is drawn to her because she has natural manners. She has "not one idea... that she blushes to avow; neither prudery or coquetry, neither a desire of conquest for herself, [or] envy of the advantages possessed by others..." to clutter her being (1: 245). Medora and the other positively portrayed characters in The Young Philosopher possess these similar "natural" manners, remaining unaffected by the influences of society's manners. Because of this major difference, they are considered outsiders to those who deem themselves polite. This allows them the liberty to determine their own happiness.
In addition to their separate standards of mannerliness, these characters have been labeled and rejected for being romantics. Despite the strength of Mrs. Glenmorris' convictions, she resents her daughter being labeled by society for choosing emotional freedom. She says to George Delmont in her frustration,
"'Romantic stuff!' is a common exclamation, if anyone ventures to feel or to express themselves out of the style of common and everyday life... But why is it romantic? I should be sorry, it is true, that a daughter of mine, suffering her imagination to out run her reason, should so bewilder herself among ideal beings as to become either useless or ridiculous; but if affection for merit, if admiration of talents, if the attachments of friendship are romantic; if it be romantic to dare to have an opinion of one's own, and not to follow one formal tract, wrong or right, pleasant or irksome, because our grandmothers and aunts have followed it before; if not to be romantic one must go through the world with prudery, carefully settling our blinkers at every step, as a cautious coachman hoodwinks his horses heads, if a woman, because she is a woman, must resign all pretensions to being a reasoning being and dares neither look to the right nor to the left, oh!" (2:14)
Here Charlotte Smith uses Mrs. Glenmorris' tongue to lash out against society and express exasperation against its restrictive guidelines on how a woman is forced to live her life. She is making a direct call to notions of liberty, which were being stirred up in the political world and align well with George Delmont's ideas. This speech seems to have autobiographical significance, as Charlotte Smith felt similar frustrations with the lack of individual influence a woman could have on her own economic situations in life. Along with this it seems that outsiders like Delmont can have little effect on the outcomes of their own fortunes.
When the necessity of preserving a family member forces George Delmont to visit London, the hub and origin of his society's preoccupation with manners, he finds himself very out of place.
He felt himself no longer an inhabitant of the world he saw about him, yet had no ambition to renew his existence in it; and smiled when he saw one or two of his old school fellows, now officers in the guards, come into the coffee room, and stare at him a moment as a stranger, while probably some slight idea returned of their having somewhere seen such a face; but then, as if the inquiry were not worth their trouble, they turned on their heels, and addressed themselves to those whom they were sure were men of the world. (3:4)
He was "cut" by his old schoolmates because his beliefs and rejection of society had taken him from the ranks of the worldly.
Similarly Mrs. Glenmorris was rejected because of her beliefs. Even from a young age her mother had expressed distaste at her daughter's tanned skin, at the fact that her daughter's head was always in the clouds. Her mother was also displeased because her daughter did not properly attend to her accomplishments (2:16). Mrs. Glenmorris's final action which drove her from her mother's heart and home, was falling in love with the rebellious Glenmorris. But she had never really understood the ways of the polite world . For example, when her mother repeatedly made reference to their supposedly reputable ancestry. She thought in response,
"Why anyone should find delight in fancying that some of the most hateful characters in history were their ancestors I never could imagine. If any man calls another the son of a woman of loose character, he would run the risk of being knocked down; yet these worthy folks find all that is not endurable today so mitigated and softened by the medium of one hundred or two hundred years, that the same of being the descendent of some elevated ruffian, by a damsel of doubtful reputation, who lived at that period, is fought for as an honor, as if simple offspring of the humblest cottager was not a thousand times more respectable." (2:38)
It seemed to her that reputation should be based on common courtesy instead of one's ancestry and upbringing.
Despite this consistent disinterest in society's rules, Mrs. Glenmorris does have a few mannerly standards of her own which she finds openly rejected by some women she encounters. In volume two she encounters a Mrs. Kilbrodie who pays little attention to domestic duties and appearances (2:107). Hostesses and wives who are stiff and unfriendly are criticized by both Glenmorris women. As they advocate kind wives and well-kept homes, they seem to be solidifying new standards of the woman's role in a domestic economy, which was starting to develop at that time. Women who are cold and unfeeling, throughout the plot, are seen as overly influenced by society. These women have spent too much time playing games and trying to catch a husband with a good title so that they have neglected their own development. Mrs. Mackirk who was supposed to be her children's educator, is one example of such a woman. She
herself was not only of a very inert disposition, but had no taste for books, and detested music- she had learned to speak French, but so ill, and with so much [of a Scottish] accent, that she could not even direct their reading it; as to drawing and fine works she had not a single idea of anything of the kind. (2:190)
In addition to these domestic changes in a woman's role, Charlotte Smith advocates a kind of self-reliance in a woman opposed to meaningless affectation. Mrs. Glenmorris says,
"She who has learned to despise the trifling objects that make women who pursue [affected softness or languid apathy] appear so contemptible to men; she who without neglecting her person has ornamented her mind, and not merely ornamented, but has discovered that nothing is good for any human being, whether man or woman , but a conscientious discharge of their duty; ... and an adherence to that pure morality, which says 'Do what good you can to all; never willfully injure'- these are the acquisitions that will give tranquillity to the heart and courage to the actions and even amidst the heaviest storms of fortune bestow response on their possessor." (4:226-227)
This type of lesson that Smith is giving is directing her readers to develop individuality, to feel the obligations of duty, and to behave with morality. She seems very aware of the futility of mere accomplishments.
At this point in the novel Charlotte Smith's open rejection of society's mindless rules and rituals may be bringing us to a new modality of proper behavior and especially expectations for women. During that time period, surrounding this novel's publication, new concepts of mannerly demeanor were emerging; it seems that they were being validated on these pages. As Mrs. Glenmorris encounters London society, she remarks with contempt that, "it is this [middle- class] mob, which overbears all retiring and simple virtues, and destroys all simple pleasures. This affectation of the manners of upper-life-- how ridiculous! And how very unlike these people are those they would copy!" (3:128).
While her phrases are colored with exasperation at the behavior she sees, it seems that the middle-class imitation of manners is no longer a suitable way to improve one's class and rank. She sees quickly through the empty gestures and mindless posturing. With her words and perceptions she seems to be advocating politeness, genuine behavior, and positive regard for other members of society and one's self.
The closing volume of this novel presents an unsatisfying solution to London's busting population of "mannered" members of society. George Delmont and the Glenmorris family take their own ideas of courtesy to America. Mr. Glenmorris, determined that there were too many people in Europe willing to sacrifice their independence for stature (4:201). He found no feasible solution aside from leaving. In addition, he expressed that all the bad things that had happened to his family through the course of the novel were "the consequence of [society's] vicious desire to defame a man whose opinions differed from those of the common world" (4:364). America was a place where different opinions were revered, valued, and cultivated.
They desired to escape from a world that valued "moral excellence by success, by fortune, which gives fashion, and imputes perfection (a temporary one indeed, but which still answers all their purposes) to the mere puppets of a season" (4:392). The heroes and heroines escape the bonds of polite society, to create their own more natural standards of conduct. And with this action Charlotte Smith reveals her proposed code of manners one more accepting and understanding of individuals like her heroes.
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