In the end of Fantomina Haywood shows Fantomina giving birth to Beauplaisir's child, and her mother sends her off to a convent. This moral ending made the narrative acceptable to eighteenth century society, but Haywood may have been making a joke at the end. Many narratives and erotica of the period consisted of priests and nuns, and convents were an erotic symbol. By giving Fantomina the punishment of being forced into a convent, Haywood may have been allowing her to continue her sexual pursuits in a convent. The ending can also be seen as a moral ending, with Fantomina's secrets being discovered by her mother as she gives birth and as Beauplaisir has been tricked into his relationships with her, he cannot be forced to marry her. She is exiled to a convent in Whales which is an unpopulated area of England as a punishment for her sins of both pre-marital intercourse and of stepping outside her female role as passive participant in the sexual world.
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