In what way does Haywood portray curiosity in Fantomina, and is there a sense of threatening ambition that accompanies the unnamed female protagonist?

"I argue that English culture portrays curiosity as the mark of a threatening ambition, an ambition that takes the form of a perceptible violation of species and categories" (Introduction, 2)

" But they, either less surprised by being more accustomed to such Sights, than she who had been bred for the most Part in the Country, or not of a Disposition to consider any Thing very deeply, took but little Notice of it. She still thought of it, however; and the longer she reflected on it, the greater was her Wonder, that Men, some of whom she knew were accounted to have Wit, should have Tastes very Depraved -- This excited a Curiosity in her to know in what Manner these Creatures were address'd" (Haywood, 1).

Fantomina follows the story of an unnamed female protagonist, who, because of her high social class isn't allowed to have meaningful conversations with males. She spots Beauplaisir, a man of her own social class, but is unable to speak with him because of her status. The female protagonist has a curiosity to know what it would be like to be addressed by these men, and because of this curiosity, she decides to disguise herself as a prostitute.

As Benedict says in her Introduction (Inspecting and Spectating: Monsters, Rarities, and Investigators), "curiosity has also been depicted as the cause of mankind's errors" (1) and that it is "the stigma of original or cultural corruption" (1).  Haywood uses curiosity in this way to satire social classes; it is only because she is fed up with her restrictions of being in a high social class (and thus curious about what could be) that the female "changes" her social class standing. She continues to disguise herself three more times, all of which allow her to pursue a relationship with Beauplaisir, who doesn't notice. This furthers the satire that as she changes her social standing, her identity changes as well.