Department of English and American Studies English Language And
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Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies English Language and Literature Katarína Murinová The Characters of Governesses, Guardians, Chaperons and Nurses in British Novels M.A. Thesis Supervisor: PhDr. Věra Pálenská, CSc. 2007 I declare that I have workedonthis thesis independently,usingonlythe primaryand secondarysourceslistedinthe bibliography. ............................................................................ 1 I wouldlike tothank PhDr.Věra Pálenská, CSc.for her useful comments,valuable adviceandcloserevisionof mythesis. 2 Table of Contents Preface....................................................................................................................................... 4 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 5 Chapter1: Evelina .................................................................................................................. 14 1.1 InGeneral................................................................................................................ 14 1.2 ThePlot ................................................................................................................... 15 1.3 TheCharacterofMr.Villars................................................................................... 16 1.4 TheCharacterofMadame Duval ............................................................................ 22 1.5 TheCharacterofMrs.Mirvan................................................................................. 25 1.6 TheCharacterofMrs.Selwyn ................................................................................ 27 Chapter2: Northanger Abbey ................................................................................................ 31 2.1 InGeneral................................................................................................................ 31 2.2 The plot ................................................................................................................... 32 2.3 TheCharacterofMrs.Allen ................................................................................... 33 2.4 TheCharacterofMrs.Thorpe................................................................................. 38 Chapter3: Jane Eyre .............................................................................................................. 41 3.1 InGeneral................................................................................................................ 41 3.2 ThePlot ................................................................................................................... 42 3.3 TheCharacterofBessie Lee ................................................................................... 43 3.4 TheCharacterofJaneEyre ..................................................................................... 47 3.5 TheCharacterofMrs.Reed .................................................................................... 52 Conclusion............................................................................................................................... 57 Résumé.................................................................................................................................... 61 Notes........................................................................................................................................ 62 Bibliography............................................................................................................................ 65 3 Preface The aim of this thesis is to deal with the characters occupied as governesses, chaperons, guardians and nurses.As these jobs were mostlywidespread inthe eighteenthand the nineteenthcenturies, the novels of our interest are chosenfrom this periodof time. The books are analyzedchronologically accordingtothe year of their first appearance inprint. The structure of the thesis includes Introduction, three chapters devoted to three British novelsandConclusion. InIntroductionI give a historical backgroundconcerningabove mentionedjobs and characterize theminrelationtotheir impactontheyoungladiesintheir care. The three chapters discuss the novels Evelina (1778) byFrancis Burney, Northanger Abbey (1818) by Jane Austen and Jane Eyre (1847) by Charlotte Brontë. Each chapter contains basic informationrelatingtothe facts about the author,the publicationof the novel and its reception as well as a brief summary of the plot. The chapter proceeds with the interpretation of the figures in the position of the governess, chaperon, guardian or nurse. With the exception of Jane Eyre, all of them are minor characters, though they have important roles inthe lives of the heroines whoare always young,inexperiencedladies in needofguidance. In Conclusion I summarize similarities and differences in individual characters and theirauthors`approachtotheircharacterization. Inthe choice of the novels I was inspired bythe courses on BritishWomenWriters. As most critics deal chieflywithmajor characters andtheytendtoneglect the minor ones,I have decided to focus on the latter and demonstrate their impact on the formation and educationoftheheroines. 4 Introduction Before dealingwiththe interpretationof the individual characters inthe novels,it is necessaryto give a historical backgroundof the professions that are goingtobe discussedin thisthesis. In the eighteenth and nineteenthcentury England different people were employed withinmiddle- andupper-class households.It was a sort of the prestige of the familyanda proof of their wealth to employnot onlypeople directlyresponsible for the runningof the house,but alsowomenof different social ranks, ages andeducation whotookcare of their masters` children. Ellen Micheletti observes that in Victorian England, “most mothers and fathers of the upper and middle classes approached child rearing in a strictly hands-off manner” (Micheletti) 1.She goes onclaimingthat theyusedtoput their childrenintothe care of wet-nurses soonafter their birth,later theyentrustedthem tonurses andnurserymaids,and when their children were old enough to start their education, the parents would hire a governess or sendthem toboardingschool,soit oftenhappenedthat thechildrendevelopeda closer relationship with their nurses and governesses 2 rather than with their mother and father. The husbandusedtoemploythese womentofacilitate the life of his wife whowas not supposed to work at all and had plenty of time at her disposal. In such a family, the husband was considered to be a solvent man deserving the esteem of the society for his abilitytosecure the comfort for his family.However,the wife still hadsome duties suchas 1 For more information see a reference to the web site in the Notes. 2 All the information on the employment of the nurses and governesses is taken from the following secondary sources: Nannies & Governesses by Ellen Micheletti , A Historical View of the Victorian Governess by Clarissa Cluessman, The Governess and Class Prejudice by Erin Wells, Punch and Brontë on Training the Ideal Victorian Governess by Emily Constable, The Figure of the Governess, based on Ronald Pearsall`s Night`s Black Angels by Philip N. Allingham and The Governess in Nineteenth-Century Literature , ed. by Jessica Menzo Russel Whitaker. 5 supervisingthe organizationof workwithinthe household,beinga goodwife,mother and chatelaine, lookingafter her childrenandinvigilatingtheir education.Intwolast mentioned duties she was helpedby a nannyanda governess.Womenof these occupations were looked at with contempt bythe womenwhodidnot have towork because at that time anemployed womanwas consideredinferior for her financial dependence onother people and alsofor her social positionwhichwas not clearlydetermined.Eventhoughtheywere paid for their work, their earnings were poor togive them independence andthe lackof moneydiminishedtheir chance to get married. And since they worked and lived within the household, they had hardlyanyopportunitytomake anyacquaintance withgentlemenwhousedtoconsider them unequal and undeservingtheir attention.Infact, a nurse and a governess were not supposed to marry at all by the society and few of them managed to fulfil themselves as wives and mothers. Except for a wet-nurse,a nannywas the first female wholookedafter a child from its birthuntil its four or five years of life andshe was alsocalleda nurse.She was a womanof the lower class,usuallywithout fair educationwhose mainduties were lookingafter children, feeding them, bathing them, dressing them, keeping their things in order and entertaining them bytellingthem fairytales, singingto them or takingthem for a walk.She was paidfor her services and lived within a household. She was usually single, like Nelly Dean in Wuthering Heights ,but couldbe alsomarried,like Bessie in Jane Eyre whogot marriedafter the children inher care didnot need her care any more.Inthe last mentionedcase she could remaininthe household assuminganother positionwhichcouldbe that of a housekeeper or she couldleave her job andjoinedher husband.If a nurse was a sensible andtactful woman, she oftenplayedthe role of the confident towhom her charges revealedtheir secrets or asked advice.She established a close relationship with her orphanedwards inparticular and tended toprovide them withaffectionthey were deprivedof because of the deathof one or bothof 6 their parents.Althoughshe couldnot replace their mother andfather,she was oftenthe