“Hints on the Modern Governess System”, an article published in Fraser’s Magazine in 1844, discusses the lifestyles of governesses of the time. The article describes education as the “work of life” which sustains “intellectual and moral growth” (568). The position of governess was a cost-effective alternative to formal education for many Victorian families; rather than send their children away to school, parents could instead hire a governess to come into their home and conduct lessons. It was a position known to women alone; education was the “holy vocation of a woman”, a trade in and of itself (568). Yet the article laments the difficulties of the life a governess. Although the job was a way for women, even those of lower classes, to emerge from the traditional domestic life and make a place for themselves in the workforce, it was no easy task. The pay was poor, and the children difficult; many young governesses were ill prepared for the “childish follies and perversities which need a mother’s instinctive love to make them tolerable” (571). Furthermore, a governess was expected to keep her reservations about the children she taught to herself. To vent her frustrations would be to betray the trust of the family she works for, as a governess was the “confidante of many family secrets” (572). Despite her involvement in family affairs, the governess was otherwise ostracized by the family from anything that wasn’t school-related, resulting in feelings of isolation and loneliness on her behalf.

Jane, the protagonist of Jane Eyre, takes up the role of governess for reasons not unlike those suggested in the Fraser’s Magazine article. After six years as a student of Lowood and two as a teacher, Jane yearns for “liberty” of the place she has spent the entirety of her adolescence (151). She becomes the governess at the Thornfield estate for a young girl named Adele. Although she takes a liking to Adele, Jane does indeed experience the loneliness known to governesses, which she calls a dreaded “stagnation” (185).

Yet Thornfield is a strange place; Mr. Rochester, Adele’s guardian, makes no claim to be her actual father, yet she lives with him at Thornfield because her own mother, Mr. Rochester’s ex-lover, abandoned her. Jane often hears a crazed laugh coming from the grounds of the estate, which are attributed to the seamstress, Grace. Jane later saves Mr. Rochester’s life from a fire in the middle of the night, which he is grateful for, and asks her not to speak of the incident to anyone. He tells Jane he knew she would “do [him] good in some way” the day he met her (244).Jane, though she takes up what is considered a lowly position in Victorian society, serves an important role at the Thornfield estate as something of a parental figure for Adele and an object of fascination for Mr. Rochester Continue reading →

On Lee Jackson’s “Victorian Dictionary” site I browsed the subcategory “Health and Beauty” of the “Women” section, where I found a number of articles ranging from topics such as self-care during pregnancy to the “Feminine Diet”. One article which particularly struck me, listed as “keeping oneself attractive”, came from an etiquette and advice manual of the time. It was written by the French Baroness Staffe and translated to English by Lady Colin Campbell in 1893. The article explains the important of the “woman’s sanctum”; that is, her dressing room. According to Baroness Staffe, a lady’s dressing room is a sacred ground for her and her alone, forbidden even to her husband. It’s where a woman “practises all kinds of magic, in order to keep herself so astonishingly young and lovely” as to “captivate, or to retain the heart of, the man she loves” (“The Lady’s Dressing Room”). In other words, it’s where a woman does her make-up and hair every morning, which are of upmost importance for Victorian women. The article shows the ridiculous standards that these women faced (some of which still stand today): Baroness Staffe’s rules dictate that a woman must look beautiful at all times, for it is “her mission to please and charm”. She even says that if a woman should feel insecure or slighted by her husband for looking at another woman, it’s her own fault for not putting more effort into her hair that day or for wearing her corset. Yet men should believe that women are always pretty and sweet-smelling because they are “so adorned by Nature”, not because they are obliged to spend hours on their appearance every morning. The Baroness dismisses women who have a “total disregard of appearances”, citing this as the reason for tumultuous marriages (“The Lady’s Dressing Room”). She expects women to not only abide by her standards but find joy and pleasure in doing so.

Work Cited

Staffe. “The Lady’s Dressing Room”. Trans. Colin Campbell. Cassel & Company Limited, 1893. Web. February 14, 2016.

http://www.victorianlondon.org/publications/ladys-preface.htm#remaining attractive

I read an article about thin women in the Victorian period.  I find it interesting that the topic of the attractiveness of women’s bodies has been going on since such an early period.  I was not surprised that the author of this article was against thin women as being thin did not become popular until the 20th century.  What I did find interesting is the way that the author of the article discusses the reasons for thinness is the way that people in the modern era have talked about the reasons people are overweight.  The article states, “Thinness is often caused by too poor living-that is, by badly-chosen and insufficient food-and by over-fatigue, especially when brought on by prolonged brain-work and excessive anxiety. It is also promoted by a nervous and bilious temperament and a gloomy disposition” (1).  The author discusses poor diet as a reason for thinness which in our time is usually associated with being overweight.  What I also find intriguing is that the demeanor of a thin woman is discussed in this article.  The author states multiple times that thin women are gloomy,  unpleasant, etc.  Physical appearance has nothing to do with personality, yet society has been making claims such even during the Victorian period.  The author also claims that being thin takes away from a women’s femininity.  I knew before that women have always been scrutinized for their appearance, but I didn’t realize how similar the verbiage of the subject would be.  Words like “thin” and “fat” are basically interchangeable in articles like this and if the word “fat” were in this article instead of “thin,” I would have assumed the article was written during the 20th century.  The article goes on to discuss women’s attractiveness in relation to their husband’s happiness.  I find it interesting that in discussing bodies, the idea is always to appear attractive to someone else and not about being healthy.

“Advice and Recipes.”  Victorian London Dictionary.  Web.  14 February 2016.  victorianlondon.org.

My name is Ally Cirruzzo, I’m a senior graduating in May, majoring in English with a minor in Creative Writing and Art Studio. My favorite author (and poet) as of late is Sylvia Plath, but JK Rowling will always hold a special place in my heart.

James Fordyce opens one of his sermons to young women with a list of the ways in which a girl can disappoint her parents. The list includes being “unruly, foolish, wanton”, or to “throw herself away on a man unruly of her” (395). He notes that the honor of a family lies heavily on its daughters, less so than its sons. Fordyce goes on to describe a woman’s ability to woo men, adding that there are “few young women who do not appear agreeable in the eyes of some men” (396). He describes women as generally alluring, attractive creatures with as significant hold over men.

Mrs. Bennet, the gossipy mother of Lizzy, the protagonist of Pride and Prejudice, might agree with Fordyce’s notion about women. She is very much concerned with marrying away her five young daughters, in particular to wealthy spouses. She would be the most proud of her daughters if they proved to be worthy potential wives to rich suitors.

Mrs. Bennet quite often makes a fool of herself in trying to incite a marriage between Mr. Bingley, a wealthy bachelor who has recently taken up in the nearby Netherfeld Park manor, and her daughter Jane. Lizzy is very much embarrassed by her mother’s antics.

When Mr. Collins, a clergyman who is slated to inherit the Bennet property, proposes to Lizzy, she turns him down, much to her mother’s dismay. Mr. Bennet, who is as unamused with his wife as Lizzy is, if not more, informs his daughter that “your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do” (142). Mrs. Bennet’s sole obsession is marrying her daughters off; she believes it is of upmost importance for her daughters to be appealing to men so that they can find a husband.