Sarah Fielding
Sarah Fielding was an independent thinker and author who carved out her own literary identity at a time when it was very difficult for women to do so. Once seen simply as a literary midpoint between the realism and satire of her brother Henry (of Tom Jones fame) and the sentimentalism of her friend and publisher Samuel Richardson (Pamela, Clarissa), she is now acknowledged as both an innovative and influential writer. Fielding was already a successful author with her first novel, The Adventures of David Simple in 1744. It was popular enough that her publisher, A. Miller, added “by the author of David Simple” as a selling point on the title page of her next work: The Governess, or the Little Female Academy, first published in London in 1749. This work of early children’s literature differs substantially from what was published for children in the past.
The Governess followed the publication of A Little Pretty Pocketbook, written and published by John Newberry in 1744, often considered the first book written specifically for children. In it, Newberry expanded the idea of the earlier Hornbooks centered on introducing the alphabet. He included rhymes and morals for children to read about each letter. There was no overarching story and the children implied in his introductory letters from “Jack the Giant Killer”, were not characters moving through a plot, developing a storyline. Newberry followed ideas about making education fun which were put forward by Comenius and popularized by Locke. By including rhymes, woodcuts and morals, Newberry began moving children books from the didactic reading memorization of Horn Books to instruction that entertained. As influential as this achievement was, however, he was still expanding familiar forms, adding entertaining extra reading material. He did not apply the pedagogical focus of the time to new formats such as the novel. He did not, in effect, provide a child's alternative to their parents' books or to the popular Chapbooks, which were not written for children. His was a remarkable achievement and his book proved popular, one which helped establish children's books as a lucrative new market. It did not, however, establish children's books as new development in literature, one which would become a new genre along with its own sub-genres.
Five years later, however, Sarah Fielding would. She went much further, writing The Governess for children and with children as the main characters who develop throughout the story as they would in an adult novel. This is already distinctive, but Fielding went further by incorporating older, discredited forms, playing with genre, structure, and settings to accomplish her pedagogical purposes and to achieve her own literary goals. All of this became incredibly influential for future authors of children's literature. In The Governess, Sarah Fielding created what has been called the first novel for children, the first written expressly for girls, and the first school story.
The Governess takes place in an almost entirely feminized environment. Any male characters are inactive. They remain in the background. This focus on girls was radical. What was appropriate for women and girl's education was a hotly debated topic at that time, and for some time to come. Fielding weaves her pedagogical answers on this topic into her story in unique and influential ways. Unlike some women authors venturing into this new literary market, she did not limit herself to focusing on her allotted "natural" sphere of children and home life: The Governess was Fielding's only book for children. She had planned and then abandoned a "Book Upon Education" that same year. (Bree, xii) Questions around education for girls and women were important to Fielding, but they were clearly not the main focus of her career. With David Simple she was, after all, an already successful author in a fairly new and very popular format -the novel. Beyond this book, Fielding entered the fray over women's education only by implication in her novels for adults and in her own pursuits. She overcame all restrictions in continuing her own education, learning Greek and Latin. She eventually read Virgil, and translated Xenophon's Memoirs of Socrates, which resulted in accusations about her "unwomanly behavior", to which she replied she could still make a pudding. (Bree, 20-21) The Governess was her only effort directly dealing with the education of young girls.
Sarah Fielding did not treat the writing of her children's book as a limiting or limited experience, nor as the necessary focus for a female author. She was as experimental and as careful here as she was with all her work. In her biography of Fielding, Linda Bree refers to her as "arguing in favor of newness and innovation - but within the boundaries of convention and precedent". (Bree, 94) Of course, authors often strike a balance between pushing boundaries and being able to sell books. Fielding brought the same exploration and focus to The Governess. She wrote for children as part of her overall writing career, implicitly giving it the same weight as writing for adults. The structures, settings, characters, and language she used were tailored to the needs, abilities and interests of children. Groundbreaking, educational and entertaining, Sarah Fielding permanently influenced the development of children's literature.
The Governess followed the publication of A Little Pretty Pocketbook, written and published by John Newberry in 1744, often considered the first book written specifically for children. In it, Newberry expanded the idea of the earlier Hornbooks centered on introducing the alphabet. He included rhymes and morals for children to read about each letter. There was no overarching story and the children implied in his introductory letters from “Jack the Giant Killer”, were not characters moving through a plot, developing a storyline. Newberry followed ideas about making education fun which were put forward by Comenius and popularized by Locke. By including rhymes, woodcuts and morals, Newberry began moving children books from the didactic reading memorization of Horn Books to instruction that entertained. As influential as this achievement was, however, he was still expanding familiar forms, adding entertaining extra reading material. He did not apply the pedagogical focus of the time to new formats such as the novel. He did not, in effect, provide a child's alternative to their parents' books or to the popular Chapbooks, which were not written for children. His was a remarkable achievement and his book proved popular, one which helped establish children's books as a lucrative new market. It did not, however, establish children's books as new development in literature, one which would become a new genre along with its own sub-genres.
Five years later, however, Sarah Fielding would. She went much further, writing The Governess for children and with children as the main characters who develop throughout the story as they would in an adult novel. This is already distinctive, but Fielding went further by incorporating older, discredited forms, playing with genre, structure, and settings to accomplish her pedagogical purposes and to achieve her own literary goals. All of this became incredibly influential for future authors of children's literature. In The Governess, Sarah Fielding created what has been called the first novel for children, the first written expressly for girls, and the first school story.
The Governess takes place in an almost entirely feminized environment. Any male characters are inactive. They remain in the background. This focus on girls was radical. What was appropriate for women and girl's education was a hotly debated topic at that time, and for some time to come. Fielding weaves her pedagogical answers on this topic into her story in unique and influential ways. Unlike some women authors venturing into this new literary market, she did not limit herself to focusing on her allotted "natural" sphere of children and home life: The Governess was Fielding's only book for children. She had planned and then abandoned a "Book Upon Education" that same year. (Bree, xii) Questions around education for girls and women were important to Fielding, but they were clearly not the main focus of her career. With David Simple she was, after all, an already successful author in a fairly new and very popular format -the novel. Beyond this book, Fielding entered the fray over women's education only by implication in her novels for adults and in her own pursuits. She overcame all restrictions in continuing her own education, learning Greek and Latin. She eventually read Virgil, and translated Xenophon's Memoirs of Socrates, which resulted in accusations about her "unwomanly behavior", to which she replied she could still make a pudding. (Bree, 20-21) The Governess was her only effort directly dealing with the education of young girls.
Sarah Fielding did not treat the writing of her children's book as a limiting or limited experience, nor as the necessary focus for a female author. She was as experimental and as careful here as she was with all her work. In her biography of Fielding, Linda Bree refers to her as "arguing in favor of newness and innovation - but within the boundaries of convention and precedent". (Bree, 94) Of course, authors often strike a balance between pushing boundaries and being able to sell books. Fielding brought the same exploration and focus to The Governess. She wrote for children as part of her overall writing career, implicitly giving it the same weight as writing for adults. The structures, settings, characters, and language she used were tailored to the needs, abilities and interests of children. Groundbreaking, educational and entertaining, Sarah Fielding permanently influenced the development of children's literature.
The Governess went
through many editions during the 100 years after its initial publication. However, In the nineteenth century, after enjoying many years of popularity there were some who felt the need to "correct" the book to fit their own strict religious and moral interpretations. This lovely frontispiece is from an 1822 edition by Mary Martha Sherwood; a much revised version which replaced some of the fairy tale and fable elements. |
This is the title page of the first edition published in 1749. You can access digital copies of original editions like this one through Eighteenth Century Collections Online. If you do not have access to that collection, you have my heartfelt sympathies. A very clear, readable version is, however, available online for free through The Gutenberg Project |