13599. THE DIGNITY OF MAN AND THE FRAILTY OF WOMEN: MALE ATTITUDES TOWARDS WOMEN IN THE ENGLISH LITERATURE OF THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES. A concise, thoughtful exploration of the changing conceptions of "the dignity of man" and "the frailty of women" in the period from the Restoration (represented by Locke and Congreve) down through the Augustan Age, exemplified by Pope's Tory conservatism contrasted with the egalitarian views of Fielding or Lady Montagu. Argues that the nominal improvement in the portrayal of the status of women in the 18th Century was largely illusory. 11 pages, 11 footnotes, 1 bibliographic reference.