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|
 An early edition of Millenium Hall. | |
| Author | Sarah Scott |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Utopian fiction, women’s fiction, philosophical fiction |
| Published | 1762 |
| Publisher | John Newbery |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Paperback, 262 pages |
| OCLC | OL5054065M |
| 823.6 | |
| Preceded by | The History of Mecklenburgh |
| Followed by | The History of Sir George Ellison |
A Description of Millenium Hall and the Country Adjacent [sic] is a 1762 utopian novel by Sarah Scott, originally published anonymously under the moniker "A Gentleman on his Travels." It describes a secluded utopian community of women which embodies mid-eighteenth century bluestocking ideals that sought to reform cultural and economic aspects of British society at large.[1] The text is narrated by a former Jamaican planter traveling to the countryside of Cornwall, who comes upon the community of women with his young, rakish companion, Lamont. Much of the text is spent recounting the design of the community and the personal histories of the women who come to live at the manor the narrator calls Millenium Hall. Each has a different story involving disillusionment with their roles in the patriarchy, eventually leading them to divest from it altogether and find a haven of female friendship on the grounds of the estate. The novel is told in an epistolary format, and draws from contemporary genres like the estate poem[2] and conduct books.[3]
The women in the novel have intense, complex relationships with each other that extend beyond the typical confines of female relationships as they nurture each other's well-being, both intellectual and emotional.[4] A recurrent theme of the novel is the idea of what to do with women who are unmarried; Millenium Hall shows that women should not only be allowed to be unmarried, but that being unmarried can liberate them from the barriers they wouldn't be able to overcome otherwise.[5] Overall, the novel advocates for a vision of female relationships that mutually support the independence of everyone involved. However, the women of the hall are only able to rely on each other because of their elevated social class. Since the resources required to recreate the hall were only accessible to the gentry, this becomes an unrealistic model for the lower classes.
- ^ Kelly, Gary (2004). "Introduction," A Description of Millenium Hall by Sarah Scott. Ontario: Broadview Press. p. 26.
- ^ Pohl, Nicole (1996). "'Sweet place, where virtue then did rest': The Appropriation of the Country-house Ethos in Sarah Scott's Millenium Hall". Utopian Studies. 7 (1): 49–59. ISSN 1045-991X.
- ^ Cruise, James (1995). "A House Divided: Sarah Scott's Millenium Hall". Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900. 35 (3): 555–573. doi:10.2307/450897. ISSN 0039-3657.
- ^ Mangano, Bryan (2015). "Institutions of Friendship in Sarah Scott's "Millenium Hall"". Texas Studies in Literature and Language. 57 (4): 464–490. ISSN 0040-4691.
- ^ Williams Elliott, Dorice (1995). "Sarah Scott's Millenium Hall and Female Philanthropy". Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900. 35 (3): 535–553. doi:10.2307/450896. JSTOR 450896.