Reading My Brilliant Career through a 21st century lens, the revolt of Sybylla Melvyn can seem slight. But from a late 19th century perspective the narrative of Sybylla’s emotional evolution that climaxes in her determination to become a writer suggests a very radical perception of the role of women. Though still a teenager, Sybylla perceives the dimensions of the male-dominated culture in which she must live: “It was only men who could take the world by its ears and conquer their fate, while women, metaphorically speaking, were forced to sit with tied hands and patiently suffer as the waves of fate tossed them hither and thither” (76). Sybylla, gazing so often in self-loathing into the mirror and aware, as at her birthday party, of the enchanting beauty of women that rendered them commodities in the marriage market, struggles with her emerging sense of a different kind of beauty and power. Within weeks, she receives three different marriage proposals and rejects them all. She believes that to be a strong woman, she must go it alone.

One of the quietest ironies occurs when Sybylla first arrives at Caddagat. Her doting aunt volunteers to direct the Pygmalion-like transformation of her ordinary niece into a woman of command and social grace—perfect for the competitive marriage market of the town.