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The Role of Women and Governesses in the 19th Century

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The Role of Women and Governesses in the 19th Century

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Daughters of rich parents were educated at home by governesses, while sons went to public school. Governesses were relatively well educated but were often lonely and unhappy. They were seen as servants by their employers but other servants regarded them as having a higher status and so governesses did not belong to either group.

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BBC Two - Primary History, Children in Victorian Britain: Children at School, Life as a Victorian governess

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Daughters of rich parents were educated at home by governesses, while sons went to public school. Governesses were relatively well educated but were often lonely and unhappy. They were seen as servants by their employers but other servants regarded them as having a higher status and so governesses did not belong to either group.

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A governess is a woman employed to teach and train children in a private household. In contrast to a nanny (formerly called a nurse), she concentrates on teaching children, instead of taking on a role of duty. Her charges are of school age rather than babies.

The position of governess used to be common in well-off European families before the First World War, especially in the countryside where no suitable school existed nearby. Parents' preference to educate their children at home—rather than send them away to boarding school for months at a time—varied across time and countries. Governesses were usually in charge of girls and younger boys. When a boy was old enough, he left his governess for a tutor or a school.

A manual entitled The Complete Governess was written in 1826 to provide schools or private governesses with guidance on how to master a comprehensive range of subjects, from geography and science to feminine 'accomplishments'.

Qualifications of a governess

As expectations for female education evolved throughout the 19th century, both families and published works placed increasingly high demands on governesses to obtain a wide range of accomplishments and knowledge.

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Henry James was an American writer regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism.

Having spent several years in Britain, he often used to explore the theme of Americans encountering Europe and Europeans in his writings.

Known for his imaginative use of point of view, interior monologue and unreliable narrators, he created highly developed characters in his fiction and explored the themes of personal freedom, feminism, and morality.

Born as the son of a lecturer and philosopher, he was exposed to scientific and philosophical influences from an early age. His family also travelled frequently and as a young boy he had been to places like London, Paris, Geneva, Boulogne-sur-Mer and Newport, Rhode Island. On growing up he attended Harvard Law School for a while but dropped out after realizing that he was not meant for a career in law. He began writing and within years found considerable recognition for his thoughtfully written works of fiction.

As a writer he drew inspiration from the likes of Honore de Balzac, Henrik Ibsen, Charles Dickens, and Nathaniel Hawthorne whose styles he greatly admired. James also contributed significantly to literary criticism and had been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature thrice.

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Critics and analysts have divided Henry’s work into three phases. The first phase constitutes of his early work which is direct and simplistic.

In the second stage of his career, Henry James worked mainly on dramatics and short stories moving on to the third phase where his work comprises of long extensively written novels.

Henry James is well known for his works such as Daisy Miller (1879), a story about a young American girl who finds it difficult to fit in with the sophistication of European traditions.

The Portrait of a Lady (1881) is also another masterpiece focusing again on an American woman traveling in Europe.

The Bostonians (1886) depicts the rising of feminist movement.

What Maisie Knew (1897) is also about a young girl who makes a choice between her parents and an old governess.

The Wings of Dove (1902) a beautifully written love story became a noted contribution of Henry James to American literature.

However, he considered The Ambassadors (1903) to be his best work.

Another noted novella by Henry James is The Turn of the Screw which is a ghost story.