August Disgust: Distinction, Disinterest, and Race in The Woman of Colour

Abstract:In The Woman of Colour (1808), Augustus Merton is taken aback when he first sees his soon-to-be wife, Olivia Fairfield, expressing his aversion to the darkness of her skin before eventually coming to admire her other qualities. The novel depicts him as a paragon of virtue and sentiment, with characters like Olivia praising his high moral worth. This article argues that Augustus exemplifies the ideals of eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century aesthetic traditions, including their views on race. Augustus's aversion to the colour of Olivia's skin is not out of character nor is it depicted as a foible to be rectified. The expression of disgust toward mercantile behaviour and Blackness is at the core of the culture of taste that Augustus represents.