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Sarah Fielding, highlights
The younger sister of novelist Henry Fielding (of Tom Jones fame) and friend of novelist Sam Richardson (of Pamela fame), Fielding was an accomplished novelist in her own right.
Her first novel David Simple (1744) was very successful, and economically lucrative (editions were continuously published from 1744-1788)
The Governess, first published by Sam Richardson in 1749, was an amazing book which broke new ground, achieving a number of firsts, including:
The first novel for written for children; in which children are sustained characters, who engage in actions and dialogue resulting in character development as adult characters in a novel would
The first school story; in particular the first girl’s-school story. The school story became sub-genre of children’s literature which is still popular, as any fan of the Harry Potter series knows
The Governess broke new ground in other ways, or was unique in:
The use of a frame story in which other stories are embedded. Most of the action revolves around the girls telling each other stories
An emphasis on attaining happiness as a basis for moral behavior in children, rather than obedience alone
Developing rational evaluation in the child characters as the method for attaining moral behavior through Illustrative stories (fables, fairy tales)
Secularized peer confession leading to individual self-reflection
The development of Jenny Peace as a guide, and as a model of proper behavior
The Governess was also unusual in its feminized setting and radical in its shift from a masculine hierarchical authority to a feminized individual authority. With deliberate Biblical references, Fielding begins with the concept of the child of original sin and, with Jenny Peace as beacon, ends with the rationally moral child. The “governess” of the title begins as an outside authority and ends as each child’s internal conscience.
The younger sister of novelist Henry Fielding (of Tom Jones fame) and friend of novelist Sam Richardson (of Pamela fame), Fielding was an accomplished novelist in her own right.
Her first novel David Simple (1744) was very successful, and economically lucrative (editions were continuously published from 1744-1788)
The Governess, first published by Sam Richardson in 1749, was an amazing book which broke new ground, achieving a number of firsts, including:
The first novel for written for children; in which children are sustained characters, who engage in actions and dialogue resulting in character development as adult characters in a novel would
The first school story; in particular the first girl’s-school story. The school story became sub-genre of children’s literature which is still popular, as any fan of the Harry Potter series knows
The Governess broke new ground in other ways, or was unique in:
The use of a frame story in which other stories are embedded. Most of the action revolves around the girls telling each other stories
An emphasis on attaining happiness as a basis for moral behavior in children, rather than obedience alone
Developing rational evaluation in the child characters as the method for attaining moral behavior through Illustrative stories (fables, fairy tales)
Secularized peer confession leading to individual self-reflection
The development of Jenny Peace as a guide, and as a model of proper behavior
The Governess was also unusual in its feminized setting and radical in its shift from a masculine hierarchical authority to a feminized individual authority. With deliberate Biblical references, Fielding begins with the concept of the child of original sin and, with Jenny Peace as beacon, ends with the rationally moral child. The “governess” of the title begins as an outside authority and ends as each child’s internal conscience.