DOCSLIB.ORG

The Work of Au Pairs & Housecleaners in the Chicagoland Area

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Work of Au Pairs & Housecleaners in the Chicagoland Area University of Wisconsin Milwaukee UWM Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations December 2014 Caring and Cleaning "On Par": the Work of Au Pairs & Housecleaners in the Chicagoland Area Anna Kuroczycka Schultes University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.uwm.edu/etd Part of the United States History Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Kuroczycka Schultes, Anna, "Caring and Cleaning "On Par": the Work of Au Pairs & Housecleaners in the Chicagoland Area" (2014). Theses and Dissertations. 630. https://dc.uwm.edu/etd/630 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by UWM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UWM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CARING AND CLEANING “ON PAR”: THE WORK OF AU PAIRS & HOUSECLEANERS IN THE CHICAGOLAND AREA by Anna Kuroczycka Schultes A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee December 2014 ABSTRACT CARING AND CLEANING “ON PAR”: THE WORK OF AU PAIRS & HOUSECLEANERS IN THE CHICAGOLAND AREA by Anna Kuroczycka Schultes The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2014 Under the Supervision of Professor Rachel I. Buff Immigrant domestic workers are perceived as highly exploitable and expendable employees, yet they are entangled in a very complex global exchange of services. The main purpose of this study will be to revise existing knowledge and assumptions about the female migrant service sector, especially within the field of domestic and care labor, by comparing the work of au pairs with housecleaners. Although these two forms of work appear to have many similarities on the surface, they are actually at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of visibility and regulation. Unlike the highly regulated nature of au pair work and its history as work for the middle class, housecleaners operate in an entirely unregulated market for undocumented immigrant workers. I argue that the au pair program, the most prestigious form of care labor, was initiated after the Immigration and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) in order to provide a legal and regulated space for care workers that also secured access to distinction and exempted a very few temporary workers from the worst depredations of neoliberal service work. My findings in this study are a result of mixed methods research - based on my own interviews with au pairs and housecleaners in the Chicagoland area - but also on literary representations, theory, and the qualitative work of others. ii © Copyright by Anna Kuroczycka Schultes, 2014 All Rights Reserved iii To my daughter Adriana, husband Scott, and my parents - for their unwavering love and support iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE Introduction………………………………………………………………………………1 Chapter 1: Caring & Cleaning “On Par”: The Reproduction of Social Class…………..32 Chapter 2: Migration Policies & “Female-friendly” Labor………………………….......87 Chapter 3: Stratification of Domestic Labor: Mothering Woes and Employer/Caregiver Roles……………………………………………………………………………………119 Conclusion: Implications for Further Research on Feminist Labor, Migration & Cultural Exchange………………………………………………………………………………..151 Works Cited…………………………………………………………………………….157 Appendix A: Au Pair Interview Questions ………...…………………………………..173 Appendix B: Housecleaner Survey – English…………………………………………..176 Appendix C: Housecleaners Survey – Polish…………………………………………..183 Appendix D: Housecleaner Interview Questions – English……………………………190 Appendix E: Housecleaner Interview Questions – Polish……………………………...191 Appendix F: Number of J-1 Visa Recipients by State & Category, 2012……………...192 Appendix G: Au Pair Sending Countries……………………………………………….211 Curriculum Vitae……………………………………………………………………….212 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Source: http://culturalcareaupair.com/costs/program-costs/ ………….. 61 Figure 2: Source: http://culturalcareaupair.com/costs/discounts/ ……………….... 61 vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To start, I would like to thank my chair, Rachel Buff, who took my project on somewhat unexpectedly and sought it through till the end. Rachel, I greatly appreciate the thoughtful comments you brought to each edit of the paper and am indebted to you not only for your expertise within the history of immigration but also for guiding me to draw certain conclusions about findings that I had previously not considered. I could not have even started this study without the help of Rachel Spilka, my advisee in the early stages of the project, who helped shape a solid foundation for what ended up turning into a dissertation. Thank you for teaching me everything I know about research methodology. I would also like to thank Aneesh Aneesh for always being unbelievably encouraging and willing to lend a hand on any paper that I happened to be working on. You guided me to dive into my research from a more sociological perspective, opening up multiple avenues of inquiry. Lastly, I would like to thank Professors KumKum Sangari and Gwynne Kennedy who throughout the course of the preliminary exam process made me realize how passionate I am about becoming a female migration scholar. Many thanks are also in order for Ewa Łuczak, my master’s thesis advisor at the University of Warsaw in Poland, for being one of the first professors who truly made me excited about the potential of spending my life in academia and who encouraged me to traverse uncharted territories in my early studies of popular African American literature. I would like to believe that this dissertation was first born in early childhood when I was a Polish immigrant in the United States. My mother, Irena Kuroczycka-Saniutycz, vii M.D., Ph.D. and father, Stefan Kuroczycki-Saniutycz, M.D., Ph.D., always fostered a tremendous culture of learning in our household regardless of the circumstances. Mama, I have always been in awe of your intelligence, strength, beauty and wisdom. Tata, your knowledge of all things public health related never ceases to astound me. But most importantly, thank you both from the bottom of my heart for helping me take care of Adriana throughout the course of many, many months spent writing and editing at the library and local coffee shops. Without your help, I have no doubt that this project would not have been possible. Dziękuję. Most importantly, I would like to thank the two loves of my life: my husband, Scott, and my daughter, Adriana. Scott, thank you for your unwavering support over the past six years of graduate school and your commitment to seeing this doctorate through till the end. I am so lucky to be married to someone who truly understands what it means to be passionate about one’s goals and dedicated to their success. Lastly, I dedicate this project to my daughter and my inspiration – Adriana. Your unconditional love, inner beauty and fiercely precocious nature make every day worth living. Thank you. viii 1 Introduction Suburbanization, along with the increasing number of dual-income families in the second half of the twentieth century, has resulted in an increased number of women who can no longer manage to take care of the household by themselves. Many migrant women, whether documented or undocumented, have taken up domestic work, which now constitutes a major niche within the global economy, especially in the United States. A number of neoliberal policies implemented by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, i.e. policies aimed at reducing government spending in order to enhance the role of the private sector, such as devaluing of local currency, the cutting of social services, and imposing wage freezes, have been acting as “push” and “pull” factors in attracting migration out of one country and into another (Pyle 290). The adjustment of immigration policies in the United States has been one of the “pull” factors attracting immigrants to domestic work.1 In this dissertation, I examine the much-debated experiences of immigrant women from diverse backgrounds who are domestic and care workers in order to revise existing knowledge and assumptions about the female migrant service sector, especially within the field of domestic and care labor.2 Female immigrant domestic workers are entangled in a very complex global exchange of services. Domestic work, a term which encompasses babysitters, nannies, housekeepers, housecleaners, and caretakers, amongst others, can be performed in both a live-in and live-out capacity. Live-in domestics are 1 The impact of immigration policies on migrating women will be discussed in a subsequent chapter. 2 For the purpose of this dissertation, I will use these terms “domestic worker” and “care worker” interchangeably. 2 reported as receiving the worst treatment from their employers because of their constant availability, and are perceived negatively by other domestic workers who live-out and pursue the same type of employment. In order to scrutinize the reasons behind gendered migration for domestic work purposes, I focus specifically on two types of laborers: au pairs and housecleaners. Due to the great variety of jobs conducted in and around the house, I limit my discussion in this dissertation to those introduced by Pierette Hondagneu-Sotelo and Ernestine Avila’s tripartite taxonomy of domestic work arrangements: live-in and live-out nanny3 and housekeeper jobs and weekly housecleaning jobs (554), and add au pairs to the picture. Au pairs need to be foreign nationals, between
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Introduction: the Western Concept of Childhood
    Introduction: The Western Concept of Childhood Laurence Brockliss As the great European powers, and to a lesser extent the United States, became predominant commercially and militarily across the globe after 1850, the rest of the world came to see Western culture in all its many different forms as an ideal that had to be imitated and absorbed if colonization and domination by outsiders were ever to be overthrown or withstood. This was as true of concep- tions of childhood and child-rearing as anything else. In the Middle Ages European children had been largely seen as fallen, wilful and incomplete crea- tures whose socialization into adulthood was left to their parents and was a matter of custom. By the late nineteenth century, among most of the well-to- do at least, children were seen as fragile, innocent vessels: their upbringing required expert advice to be successfully negotiated and was the responsibility of the state as well as the family.1 Any history of children and child-rearing in the non-Western world in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries will inevitably have as its backdrop the impact of this still freshly minted idea of childhood on traditional beliefs and practices. At the same time, the influ- ence of Western ideas on any narrative of non-Western childhoods in the decades before and after the First World War will be far from straightforward. Importing the Western concept of childhood into traditional societies and cul- tures was inevitably a Herculean task. The supporters of modernization usu- ally lacked the money and the authority to enforce their will, while many of the modernizers were understandably ambivalent about unreservedly introducing the alien ideas of the imperialists into their native land, even if they believed there was a need to re-structure traditional beliefs.
    [Show full text]
  • THE Private RESIDENT Governess
    THE -Y OR THE TIGER?: EVOLVING VICTORIAN PERCEOTIONS OF EDUCATION AND THE PRiVATE RESIDENT GOVeRNESS Elizabeth Dana Rescher A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of English The University of Toronto G Copyright by Elizabeth Dana Rescher, 1999 National Library Bibliothéque nationale 1*1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, nie W@lliigton OttawaON KlAON4 Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/fïlm, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copy~@tin this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or othenvise de ceNe-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. TEE LADY OR THE TI-?: EVOLVING VfCTORlAW PERCEPTIONS OF EDUCATION MD TEE PRfVATE RESIDENT GOVBRNESS A thesis smrnitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of English The University of Toronto by Elizabeth Dana Rescher, 1999 --Abattact-- From the first few decades of the nineteenth century to the 1860s, the governess-figure moved steadily in public estimation from embodiment of pathos to powerful subverter of order, only to revert in the last decades of the 1800s to earlier type.
    [Show full text]
  • Toward a Global Critical Feminist Vision: Domestic Work and the Nanny Tax Debate
    University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law DigitalCommons@UM Carey Law Faculty Scholarship Francis King Carey School of Law Faculty 1999 Toward a Global Critical Feminist Vision: Domestic Work and the Nanny Tax Debate Taunya Lovell Banks University of Maryland School of Law, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/fac_pubs Part of the Labor and Employment Law Commons, Law and Gender Commons, and the Law and Race Commons Digital Commons Citation Banks, Taunya Lovell, "Toward a Global Critical Feminist Vision: Domestic Work and the Nanny Tax Debate" (1999). Faculty Scholarship. 220. https://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/fac_pubs/220 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Francis King Carey School of Law Faculty at DigitalCommons@UM Carey Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Scholarship by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UM Carey Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Toward a Global Critical Feminist Vision: Domestic Work and the Nanny Tax Debate Taunya Lovell Banks* I. INTRODUCTION ll. THE UNDER REGULATION OF DOMESTIC LABOR A. Domestic Work Is Not Real Work B. Domestic Work Is a Private Matter C. Domestic Work as Women's Work ill. LEGISLATIVE NARRATIVE: FRAMING THE PUBLIC POLICY DEBATE A. The Legislative Debates About Employees B. The Legislative Debates About Employers C. Public Debates: What's in a Name-Racial Markers IV. COMPETINGGENDEREDNARRATIVESABOUTDOMESTICWORK:AFFLUENT WORKING WOMEN AND BLACK FEMINISTS A. Affluent Women: Zoe Baird, Not One of Us? B. Black Feminists: Zoe Baird, Not One of Us-Black Women as Domestic Workers, Myth or Reality C.
    [Show full text]
  • Adventure Nannies Glossary
    Adventure Nannies Glossary Babysitter | A babysitter is someone who is paid occasionally to watch another family’s children for a set amount of time, often in the evenings. Babysitters are often friends of the family or neighbors and do not typically have any formal childcare training or experience (although anyone who is working as a babysitter should have up-to-date infant and child CPR and First Aid certification for the safety of all parties.) Career Nanny | A career nanny is a nanny who has been working professionally as a nanny for 5 or more years and has dedicated themselves to continuing to be a nanny for the foreseeable future, with no plans to change professions. Some career nannies invest in their training and development to continue fine-tuning their skills and staying up to date on child research and philosophies, which we strongly encourage of anyone working as a professional nanny, but some career nannies do not. The term ‘career nanny’ means simply that someone has been working as a nanny for a significant amount of time. Fully-staffed | A fully-staffed home can consist of any number of staff, including but not limited to housekeepers, executive housekeepers, household managers, personal assistants, a chief of staff, gardeners, private chefs, drivers, and security details. In many fully-staffed roles, the nanny will be working on a team with other nannies and most of their direct interactions will be with a lead nanny or a household manager, not with the parents (sometimes referred to as ‘principals’) directly as often as a smaller-staffed home.
    [Show full text]
  • The Turn of the Screw
    The Turn of the Screw Alyssa, Caitlin, Kara, Kylie Intro Because these are the introductory chapters to the novel, there is a great deal of foreshadowing taking place. Some of the foreshadowing is easily detectable as such; however there are certain subtleties that are far less obvious unless one is aware of later happenings in the story. This passage also holds foreshadowing of the less blatant nature. One instance has been quoted above, the lines beginning with “a trap—“ and ending with the governess alluding to the fact that she is indeed “excitable.” This brand of foreshadowing plays to the question that readers often have at the end of this novel: whether the governess is sane or not. There are multiple instances in these beginning chapters when the governess refers to her own mental instabilities, but only in passing, brushing them off as if they were normal in discrepancies. Rereading this section of the text, however, gives emphasis to these understated moments of admitted mental stress and “excitability.” Chapter 1 Summary -C1: Through the viewpoint of the Governess, telling recollection of riding in a coach...riding to Bly: her newfound place of employment -C1: Meets Flora and Mrs. Grose and Flora right away "A little girl...a civil person who dropped me as decent a curtsy as if [she] had been the mistress." - C1: Getting acquainted with Mrs. Grose and is indirectly becoming acquainted with Flora. -C1: Allusion to Miles, Flora gives the governess a tour of Bly, ambiguity of conversations. "No; it was a big, ugly, antique but convenient house,embodying a few features of a building still older , half replaced and half utilized in which I had the fancy of our being almost as lost as a handful of passengers in a great drifting ship.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Full Text In
    The European Proceedings of Social & Behavioural Sciences EpSBS ISSN: 2357-1330 https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2019.08.03.135 EDU WORLD 2018 The 8th International Conference PARENTS – PARTNERS IN EDUCATION Olivia Pisică (a)* *Corresponding author (a) University Politehnica of Bucharest, Romania, [email protected] Abstract This article concerns the nature of relations between kindergarten – family, educator – parents, educator - child. For a good socio-emotional development of preschool children, the teacher’s activity with children should include activities or items that pre-schooler children interact with adults. By attending the kindergarten, the child is faced with new situations, changing his way of life according to the new requirements, here the child will find more complex and better organized educational support. However, the family has a fundamental role in raising and educating the child by finding and choosing the most effective and qualitative education systems that will be molded on their own children. The educator – parent relationship is a primary direct impact on child development. The relationship between parent and educator will influence the pattern of behaviour that the child will admire and imitate. Micro research aimed to capture the way that parents appreciate / do not appreciate the quality in preschool institution. Also looking into the importance of partnership in kindergarten through the goals, objectives and activities to encourage child development. Questionnaire-based survey helped us collect sufficient data for the chosen sample. © 2019 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy.org.UK Keywords: Partnership, kindergarten, preschool development, parents, quality. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 Unported License, permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
    [Show full text]
  • The Governess, Mrs. Grose and "The Poison of an Influence" in "The Turn of the Screw" Author(S): Helen Killoran Source: Modern Language Studies, Vol
    Modern Language Studies The Governess, Mrs. Grose and "The Poison of an Influence" in "The Turn of the Screw" Author(s): Helen Killoran Source: Modern Language Studies, Vol. 23, No. 2 (Spring, 1993), pp. 13-24 Published by: Modern Language Studies Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3195031 . Accessed: 04/02/2015 08:52 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Modern Language Studies is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Modern Language Studies. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 216.125.168.2 on Wed, 4 Feb 2015 08:52:14 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions TheGoverness, Mrs. Grose and "thePoison ofan Influence"in TheTurn of theScrew HelenKilloran In a well-knownessay, Eric Solomonargues convincingly that Mrs.Grose, so ofteninterpreted as the"solid, kindly, housekeeper,"' is actuallyan evil influencewho deliberatelyencourages the governess's nervousimpressions of apparitions. Her motive is to drivethe governess fromBly and regainher position as guardianof thechildren, especially Flora.2Other revealing essays demonstrate how
    [Show full text]
  • The Victorian Governess As Spectacle of Pain
    University of Vermont ScholarWorks @ UVM Graduate College Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses 2014 The icV torian Governess as Spectacle of Pain: A Cultural History of the British Governess as Withered Invalid, Bloody Victim and Sadistic Birching Madam, From 1840 to 1920 Ruby Ray Daily University of Vermont Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis Part of the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, History Commons, and the Literature in English, British Isles Commons Recommended Citation Daily, Ruby Ray, "The ictV orian Governess as Spectacle of Pain: A Cultural History of the British Governess as Withered Invalid, Bloody Victim and Sadistic Birching Madam, From 1840 to 1920" (2014). Graduate College Dissertations and Theses. 291. https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/291 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations and Theses at ScholarWorks @ UVM. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate College Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ UVM. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE VICTORIAN GOVERNESS AS SPECTACLE OF PAIN: A CULTURAL HISTORY OF THE BRITISH GOVERNESS AS WITHERED INVALID, BLOODY VICTIM AND SADISTIC BIRCHING MADAM, FROM 1840 TO 1920 A Thesis Presented by Ruby Ray Daily to The Faculty of the Graduate College of The University of Vermont In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Specializing in History October, 2014 Accepted by the Faculty of the Graduate College, The University of Vermont, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, specializing in History.
    [Show full text]
  • Au Pair LOS ANGELES, CA 90291, UNITED STATES (541) 754-3010
    ELLE CONNOR Au Pair LOS ANGELES, CA 90291, UNITED STATES (541) 754-3010 DETAILS PROFILE 1515 Pacific Ave, Los Angeles, CA Enthusiastic, competent, and energetic Au Pair with a level head and proven record of providing 90291, United States exemplary childcare assistance to families. Well-groomed and eloquent with a diplomatic demeanor. (541) 754-3010 Specialized competencies include tutoring mathematics and science subjects for Elementary School [email protected] children. A registered play therapist with a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Development. Fluent PLACE OF BIRTH in English, French, and German. Transported children daily with a 100% clean driving record. San Antonio NATIONALITY EMPLOYMENT HISTORY American Live In Au Pair at Smith Family, Kansas City DRIVING LICENSE January 2019 — Present Full Received three letters of recommendation from the family, physician, and psychologist during the period caring for an autistic boy aged 11 and making a valuable contribution to his social skills by taking him to volunteer at an animal shelter once a week. LINKS Facebook • Responsible for taking care of 6-year old twin girls • Prepare breakfast in the morning and pack lunch boxes with nutritious foods Linkedin • Drop the twins off at school in the mornings and fetch them in the afternoons • Drive children to ballet class twice a week and violin lessons once a week • Provide them with a mid-afternoon snack before they start their homework SKILLS • Assist with homework activities where needed Grocery Shopping • Take them to play dates during
    [Show full text]
  • The Victorian Governess Novel
    The Victorian Governess Novel Wadsö-Lecaros, Cecilia 2001 Document Version: Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication Citation for published version (APA): Wadsö-Lecaros, C. (2001). The Victorian Governess Novel. (Lund Studies in English; Vol. 100). Lund University Press. Total number of authors: 1 General rights Unless other specific re-use rights are stated the following general rights apply: Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal Read more about Creative commons licenses: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. LUND UNIVERSITY PO Box 117 221 00 Lund +46 46-222 00 00 The Victorian Governess Novel Cecilia Wadsö Lecaros LUND STUDIES IN ENGLISH 100 Editors: Marianne Thormählen and Beatrice Warren Lund University Press LUND STUDIES IN ENGLISH 100 Editors: Marianne Thormählen and Beatrice Warren LUND STUDIES IN ENGLISH 100 Editors: Marianne Thormählen and Beatrice Warren The Victorian Govemess N ovel Cecilia W adsö Lecaros Lund University Press LUND UNIVERSITY Lund University Press Box 141 S-221 00 Lund Sweden Art nr 20583 ISBN 91-7966-577-2 ISSN 0076-1451 © 2001 Cecilia Wadsö Lecaros Graphic design: Cecilia Wadsö Lecaros & Marcus Lecaros Printed by Kfs AB, Lund 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Isabel Archer, the Governess and Maisie Farange: a Reading Three Journeys Into Awarness: a Reading Of
    ISABEL ARCHER, THE GOVERNESS AND MAISIE FARANGE: A READING THREE JOURNEYS INTO AWARNESS: A READING OF ISABEL ARCHER, THE GOVERNESS AND MAISIE FARANGE (WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE ROLES OF PANSY OSMOND, MILES AND FLORA) By BEVIRLEY CHRISTINE JOHNSON, B.A. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts McMaster University October, 1986 MASTER OF ARTS (1986) McMaster University (English) Hamilton, Ontario TITLE: Three Journeys into Awareness: A Reading of Isabel Archer, the Governess and Maisie Farange <With special reference to Pansy Osmond, Miles and Flora) AUTHOR: Bevirley Christine Johnson, B. A. Mc Master University SUPERVISOR: Professor M. Aziz NUMBER OF PAGES: ix, 120 ii ABSTRACT It is my pu~pose to demonst~ate how, th~ough exposure to evil, three young Jamesian heroines experience a journey f~om innocence into a fuller awareness of life. Romantic and idealistic, Isabel Archer finds evil where her heart had looked for love. Through her gradual involvement with Pansy Osmond, Isabel is given an identity with which she can go forward into a new life. As an agent of grace, Pansy is the magic talisman which puts the seal on Isabel's decision to ~eturn to Rome. Pansy deepens the poignancy of Isabel's choice. As a young woman who is as romantic and idealistic as Isabel, the governess, in The Turn of the Screw, innocently supposes that her life is enriched by the presence of the two beautiful children who are in her care. Miles and Flora, who appear to embody "the sweet, shy bloom of ideal infancy," are not, however, like Pansy Osmond--a means of grace.
    [Show full text]
  • JANE EYRE and EDUCATION a Thesis Submitted to the Faculty Of
    “TO GROW UP CLEAN”: JANE EYRE AND EDUCATION A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Georgetown University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in English By Marielle Hampe, B.A. Washington, DC April 24, 2016 Copyright 2016 by Marielle Hampe All Rights Reserved ii “TO GROW UP CLEAN”: JANE EYRE AND EDUCATION Marielle Hampe, B.A. Thesis Advisor: John C. Pfordresher, Ph.D. While narratives of the Victorian governess emphasize her ambiguous social class position, this thesis argues that the advertised reason for the private governess’s employment within the home – her instruction of the family’s children – deserves ample critical attention. To investigate the Victorian governess’s educational project, I use Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847) as my focal text and incorporate additional governess novels from the period, such as Julia Buckley’s Emily, The Governess (1836) and Marguerite Gardiner’s The Governess (1839). I argue that the narrative’s omission of the governess’s work, the governess’s extracurricular education, and the destruction caused by the educational containment of foreign women ultimately destabilize and problematize the education the governess is hired to teach. This destabilization positions the governess’s work at the helm of an alternative model of education that does not advocate for “Englishness” but instead a comingling of knowledge that extends beyond England and is often learned in private communal settings. I divide my thesis into three sections representative of three pillars of education: the schoolroom, the curriculum, and the teacher.
    [Show full text]