# IX explained — The Dewy Morn

> Chapter companion for The Dewy Morn by Richard Jefferies.

## What happens

Felise, overwhelmed by gloom and anger, resolves to win Martial's love by forcing herself into his society. She rejects the passive role of women and determines to scale the 'precipice' of social convention. The chapter reflects on the extreme difficulty of forming genuine acquaintances, especially for a woman who wishes to select a man, and critiques the rigid social groups that prevent such connections.

## Themes in this chapter

### Gender and Power

Felise confronts the powerlessness of women in society, yet resolves to act against it, attempting to scale the 'precipice' of social convention and force her will upon circumstances.

### Obsession and Jealousy

Felise's resolve borders on obsession; she is willing to sacrifice everything to be in Martial's society, and the thought of failure brings her to tears.

### Freedom vs. Control

Felise rejects passive waiting and seeks to control her fate, but the chapter also explores the societal constraints that limit her freedom to choose her acquaintances.

## Character check-ins

### Felise Goring

Felise experiences a deepening gloom that turns to anger, leading to a silent, unchangeable resolve to win Martial. She stands in the sunshine, her features set, and later sits to think, rejecting the powerlessness of women and vowing to force circumstances.

### Martial Barnard

Martial is the object of Felise's intense desire; she resolves to bring him into her society continually, to talk with him, sit by him, and make him feel her presence.

## Key lines

> She would, she must, she would have him with her. If he did not love her⁠—if he could not love her⁠—there was the end. But he should be in her society; he should feel her presence; he should see the meaning in her eyes; if she had any beauty he should come within reach of its power.

Felise resolves that she will have Martial with her, regardless of whether he loves her; she will make him feel her presence and the power of her beauty.

_This passage captures Felise's determined, almost desperate resolve to overcome social barriers and win Martial's affection._

> The greatest difficulty in the world is to know people. How are you even to let them understand that you wish to know them⁠—which would often expedite the desired end very considerably?

The narrator reflects that forming genuine acquaintances is extremely difficult, especially when one cannot directly express a desire to know someone.

_This observation underscores the central social obstacle Felise faces in her quest to be near Martial._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_dewy_morn_se/chapters/volume-i-ix
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_dewy_morn_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_dewy_morn_se/chapters