Fantomina is initially constantly depicted as if thought are constantly running back and forth in her head telling her to or not to have sex with Beauplaisir. At this point, it is definitively stated that no amount of will on her part will keep her from having sexual intercourse with him. The Oxford English Dictionary defines Admonish as a verb which means, “To exhort or urge (a person) to do something, esp. as a duty or obligation; to tell or warn (a person) that he or she should do something.” In this context Haywood is explaining that the main character is not listening to her inner advice to stay within her limits. With her limits being the societal expectations of a woman of her class. Instead of following what is expected of her by society, the main character gives in to her inner passions. These kind of passions would have been taboo for women in a higher class setting. With the rise of the middle class and novels like Haywood's, these sexual taboos would start to become widely discussed.

"admonish, v." OED Online, Oxford University Press, December 2019, www.oed.com/view/Entry/2602. Accessed 12 February 2020.

Fantomina's careful consideration of the effects of her actions on her class position were quickly overrun by her passion and curiosity of what the life of a prostitute is like. In this context, Haywood is using the word spirits to mean her passions and curiosity. The Oxford English Dictionary defines Spirit as an “immaterial being, as opposed to body or matter; being or intelligence conceived as distinct from, or independent of, anything physical or material.” This is most certainly derived from Locke’s understanding and conceptualization of the word “Spirit.” In 1690, John Locke stated in Book II Chapter XXIII of his Essay on Human Understanding that, “the operations of the mind, viz., thinking, reasoning, fearing, etc., “ do not belong to the body and are to therefore be thought of as a separate entity which he called Spirits. (Locke 235). In examining other 18th century writings, it is clear that many people, like Locke viewed thoughts as being an out-of-body occurrence. This can be clearly seen when Haywood describes her “cogitations” as vanishing, thus personifying the word spirit.

"spirit, n." OED Online, Oxford University Press, December 2019, www.oed.com/view/Entry/186867. Accessed 12 February 2020.

Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Batoche Books, 2000. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/gatech/detail.action?docID=3117747.

https://enlightenmens.lmc.gatech.edu/items/show/478

Fantomina’s curious interest in the life of a prostitute has turned into an intense craving for passion and sex. This craving appears to be void of rational thought. Locke states that a rational person, “ought to govern his opinions, and actions depending thereon.” Fantomina’s clear disregard the consequences of her actions makes her quite the irrational person. Locke does agree however, that the pursuit of love is completely rational, although he may not agree with the way that Fantomina pursued it.

Locke, John. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Batoche Books, 2000. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/gatech/detail.action?docID=3117747.

https://enlightenmens.lmc.gatech.edu/items/show/542

Fantomina changes her identity multiple times throughout the story. Originally, she did this only out of curiosity, but she felt so energized by the results of changing her disguise that she proceeded to do it over and over. Hume says that were are always, "intimately conscious of what we calll our Self." He also says that "The strongest sensation, the most violent passion, say they, instead of distracting us from this view, only fix it more intensely, and make us consider their influence on self either by their pain or pleasure."

Hume, David, and L. A. Selby-Bigge. A Treatise of Human Nature. At the Clarendon Press, 1896.

https://enlightenmens.lmc.gatech.edu/items/show/461

18th century ideas about identity extended not only to ways people acted, but also how people dressed. In the picture above, a man has mistaken a lady to be a prostitute. He identified her by how she dressed, as clothing was a symbol of class and still is to a certain extent.

https://britlitsurvey2.wordpress.com/2014/02/25/fantomina/

https://enlightenmens.lmc.gatech.edu/items/show/195

This is a very formal word being used in a context that is rather informal. This reveals that Fantomina's action are void of romance and are strictly to satisfy a curiosity and craving for sex.

Fantomina has an intense craving and desire to see Beauplaisir. This part in the text explicitly states a shift in Fantomina’s passions, desire, and motivation that was earlier implied. Now, she has a sort of obsession with Beauplaisir. An obsession of this sort is uncharacteristic of a “proper woman” and would have been very interesting for female readers of the 18th century.

The main character has to imagine herself in a state of pleasure because a woman of her class does not normally obtain such experiences. It is also interesting that Haywood uses the word satisfaction to characterize this feeling, as words describing pleasure from sex were generally attributed to men. Haywood appears to be pushing a new sexual agenda for women in the sense that she is showing that women also have sexual pleasures.

Fantomina is relying on her virtue to keep "her grounded as a lady" all the while pursuing Beauplaisir under the identity of a Town-Mistress. The Oxford English Dictionary defines virtue as “ A moral quality regarded (esp. in religious contexts) as good or desirable in a person, such as patience, kindness, etc.; a particular form of moral excellence.” In this context, Haywood’s use of virtue is ironic as the main character is relying on her virtue to keep her rooted to her own moral self while she is placing herself in the role of a prostitute. This shows that prostitution in the 18th century was viewed as an immoral act and not proper and becoming of women, even though men frequented a prostitute’s services. This is very hypocritical and sexist in nature, as men were allowed to call upon such services with no degradation to their moral character. It is clear that one can have still have morals while seeking pleasure. It is very interesting to see that 18th century males did not see this.

"virtue, n." OED Online, Oxford University Press, December 2019, www.oed.com/view/Entry/223835. Accessed 12 February 2020.

In Haywood’s writings, she capitalizes proper nouns as well as abstract ideas of the mind. In the 18th century, qualities of the mind were viewed as separate entities that had a physical form. These physical forms were a new way to think about the function of the mind when compared to previous centuries thoughts and were popularized by philosophers like John Locke and Adam Smith. This is important to note going forward and is discussed in-depth in the annotation of the word Spirits.

Many times throughout the novel, Fantomina impulsively creates new disguises to trick Beauplaisir into have sexual encounters with her. The first time doing this however, she has cogitations about the effect of her actions on her identity and class. The Oxford English Dictionary defines cogitation as “The action of thinking or reflecting; attentive consideration, reflection, meditation. “ or “The faculty of thinking or thought.” Fantomina's initial considerations pay careful attention to other's perception of her as a lady. Her initial consideration of other's perception of her reveal the strain that 18th century men placed on women to act a certain way. These sexist class structures were not placed on men of the same period. Certainly, there were class differences among men, but having sex with others randomly was not as taboo as it was for women. Unfortunately, some of this ideology still exists today, although it is nowhere near as bad as it was in the 18th century.

"cogitation, n." OED Online, Oxford University Press, December 2019, www.oed.com/view/Entry/35860. Accessed 12 February 2020.