Education and Propriety

            The women in the novels of Jane Austen, Amelia Opie, and Anne Radcliffe all come from different educational and socioeconomic backgrounds. With the obvious (and sometimes frustrating) exception of The Romance of the Forest, the Romantic novel is a reflection of reality insofar as there is parallel diversity of its inhabiting characters. Furthermore, as part of this diversity, there is a wide spectrum of the education levels of all the women presented in the novels we have read this semester. It is often said, “behind every successful man there is a woman;” however, this phrase, which refers to the importance of a wife in a man’s life, (oddly relevant, especially in the case of Adeline Mowbray) should not be limited by gender. In terms of feminine education, I think it would be more appropriate to say that behind every successful woman there is another woman; this time, however, the latter woman is her mother. In this post, I want to explore the correlation between the education, or lack thereof, of a woman, particularly from her mother, and her behavior in society.

            In Tara and Laura’s presentation on Education in March, we learned that while education was certainly available during the time of the Romantic novel, it was not presented equally in terms of gender. While reading Carol C.’s post, “the point is…marriage is stupid,” I found myself realizing that the lack of agency a woman has in society both contributes to and stems from her focus on marriage. Firstly, because society in that era prevented women from engaging in the activities of men, they are relegated to becoming wives. Because of this single-track lifestyle, women are therefore forced to learn how to be wives and nothing more. This idea is echoed in Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s 1762 novel, Emile, which asserts that a child has specific talents based upon gender and thus should be educated according to those talents. Rousseau further argues against any member of one specific sex, particularly in the case of females, attempting to be educated in the “arts” of the opposite gender. This stance on society and education angered many feminists of the time as it held a male-dominant stance. [Emile] One of the most outspoken critics of Emile was women’s rights advocate Mary Wollstonecraft. In her 1792 book, A Vindication of the Rights of Women, Wollstonecraft refutes Rousseau’s claims; she says, regarding a woman’s education, that “if she be not prepared by education to become the companion of man, she will stop the progress of knowledge, for truth must be common to all, or it will be inefficacious with respect to its influence on general practice.” [A Vindication of the Rights of Women] In other words, if a woman does not understand, due to lack of education, the ways of the world—a man’s world at the time—then how could she possibly be expected to properly fit into society? Furthermore, in her post on Austen’s Persuasion, Elise B. points out that “Fanny is indeed educated, but maybe more in matters of the heart than lessons from books.” In this comment, I think Elise hits the nail right on the head because in order to understand what education is for a Romantic era woman, one must realize that the modern definition of education does not fully apply. In this sense, a woman’s knowledge of marine biology, for instance, will not really be relevant to her goal of a happy marriage and good social standing; rather, it is social philosophy a woman is being taught that helps her avoid the mistakes a character like Adeline Mowbray makes. Another point Wollstonecraft makes is that this aforementioned education must be attended to, first and foremost, by the mother. Wollstonecraft’s complaint with society is that when women go uneducated then consequently their children will go uneducated and the circle will never be broken:

“If children are to be educated to understand the true principle of patriotism, their mother must be a patriot; and the love of mankind, from which an orderly train of virtues spring, can only be produced by considering the moral and civil interest of mankind; but the education and situation of woman, at present, shuts her out from such investigations.” [A Vindication of the Rights of Women]

Texts like Adeline Mowbray, Persuasion, and Sense and Sensibility, all present examples of women who lack the education prescribed by Wollstonecraft and their storylines consequently unfold revealing the unfortunate result of this educational void.

            In looking at examples of the relationship between education and social propriety a very good staring point is Opie’s Adeline Mowbray. It is of note, in the context of the book, that Adeline is not from a poor background. In the opening chapter of Adeline Mowbray, Opie introduces the family as wealthy, calling “Mrs. Mowbray’s father, Mr. Woodville, a respectable country gentleman” and further saying “such was the mother of Adeline Mowbray…in the prime of her life a rich widow.” [Adeline Mowbray] This is an important fact as Adeline thus refutes any claims that the level of propriety one conducts themselves with is not linked with wealth in anyway. In her post, “Female Agency,” Madison agrees with this claim: “Wealth cannot buy manners, as the wealthiest women in [Northanger Abbey] seem to misbehave the most.” Additionally, the wealth Adeline seems to be blessed with in her childhood actually becomes a negative factor on her later life; because she has access to the books and time money affords, she ends up filling her head with the kind of ideas that eventually bring about her social, and literal, downfall.

            One of the main points discussed on the blog was the importance of experiential learning in the education of women. Kathryn points out in her post, “I think that Opie is using Adeline as an example of what could happen, even to the most honest, virtuous and respectable of people, if society accepts kept mistresses the same as wives.” In another post by Catherine, the point is made that, “by emphasizing the past in Persuasion, Austen suggests that the most important form of education is experience.” This is important to realize when looking at the source of Adeline’s ideas. Frederic Glenmurray’s philosophy regarding marriage is indeed a collection of ideas, but it is not based upon experience. And how could it be? Glenmurray, after all, is a man, and it doesn’t really matter in the “man’s world” he lives in whether or not he accepts or rejects the institution of marriage. He has never been married, and, therefore should not be qualified to comment on the subject. Moreover, Adeline should have realized this fact—Glenmurray is not a proper authority—before gullibly gobbling down the words in his publication. From this point, it is clear that while Adeline’s lack of education hurts her badly, her lack of judgment on disregarding the credentials of the source from which she draws her knowledge can be blamed upon nobody but herself. Opie makes this clear when introducing Adeline’s mother to her readers: “she therefore confined her little effusions to a society of admiring friends, secretly lamenting the loss of which the literary world sustained in her being born a gentlewoman.” [Adeline Mowbray] Even though Mrs. Mowbray has the same crazy ideas that Adeline has, she still has a sense of propriety in that she does not want to embarrass her family with her pursuits in public—something that Adeline cannot claim. The picture below portrays what a proper and educated woman would do in order to dress appropriately to go out into society—another aspect of a woman’s education.

            Having discussed the contents of Adeline’s mind and put into context the root of her behavior, the relationship of her education to her conduct can now be examined. The result of Adeline’s refusal to marry creates a pain not just for her, but also for others she associates with. Glenmurray’s letter to his friend Maynard illustrates this quite well: “Dear Maynard, when you receive this, Adeline and I shall be on our road to France, and you,—start not!—are the occasion of our abrupt departure…you saw Adeline...and wished to introduce her to your sisters—this, honor forbade me to allow for Adeline is not my wife, but my companion.” [Adeline Mowbray] Adeline’s lack of knowledge on social propriety puts her in unhappy situations, which in turn cause her own severe unhappiness.  Furthermore, while I previously asserted that a lack of education prevents a woman from being a part of a male dominated world, it also prevents them from being in the company of other educated women. Mrs. Beauclerc’s advice to Adeline imploring her to marry illustrates this notion:

“For God’s sake, marry Mr. Berrendale immediately; and abjure for ever, at the foot of the altar, those errors in opinion to which all your misery has been owing…and if you have any regard for me you will become the wife of your generous lover for then, and not till then, can I venture to associate with you… I should consider your example as a warning to all young people; and to preserve my children from evil I should only wish them to hear your story, as it inculcates most powerfully how vain are personal graces, talents, sweetness of temper, and even active benevolence, to ensure respectability and confer happiness, without a strict regard to the long-established rules for conduct, and a continuance in those paths of virtue and decorum which the wisdom of ages has pointed out to the steps of everyone.” [Adeline Mowbray]

In this passage, Mrs. Beauclerc’s plea to Adeline not only affirms the fact that an uneducated woman has no place in society because she lacks social propriety, but also confirms my suspicion that Opie intended Adeline to be an example of what not to do. Laura also sees the novel this way as she asserts “Although Adeline was her novel's heroine, it seems clear that Opie uses her as a moral lesson of what not to do rather than what to do. She notes that mothers can be either an example of the virtuous life to be lived for their daughters, or an example of what they should abhor in lives of vice.” Therefore, Adeline definitely satisfies Wollstonecraft’s claim that an uneducated woman is relegated to the outskirts of society because the conduct that follows from her ignorance demands it.

            Another novel that thoroughly examines the relationship between propriety and maternal education is Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. Austen presents three kinds of women in this book in regards to education and conduct, one good, one bad, and one exception. Beginning with the bad, I will first look at Lucy Steele. Austen first presents Miss Steele from the perspective of Elinor Dashwood which gives us tremendous insight into her background:

Lucy was naturally clever; her remarks were often just and amusing; and as a companion for half an hour Elinor frequently found her agreeable; but her powers had received no aid from education, she was ignorant and illiterate, and her deficiency of all mental improvement, her want of information in the most common particulars, could not be concealed from Miss Dashwood, in spite of her constant endeavor to appear to advantage. Elinor saw, and pitied her for, the neglect of abilities which education might have rendered so respectable; but she saw, with less tenderness of feeling, the thorough want of delicacy, of rectitude, and integrity of mind, which her attentions, her assiduities, her flatteries at the Park betrayed; and she could have no lasting satisfaction in the company of a person who joined insincerity with ignorance; whose want of instruction prevented their meeting in conversation on terms of equality, and whose conduct towards others, made every shew of attention and deference towards herself perfectly valueless.” [Sense and Sensibility]

This unflattering description gives everything the reader needs to know about where Lucy is coming from. Her inappropriate actions and flirty nature are a reflection of the lack of education she has received. Moreover, because the description is coming from the perspective of Elinor, who is indeed an educated girl as I will soon address, the previous point that a lack of education bars a woman from the approval of an educated one continues to hold true. As I mention in my post entitled “if I had wanted your opinion I would have asked for it…,” clearly Austen holds the same view as Elinor and is only using her character to get this point across.  Conversely, Elinor is a great example of what a good education can do for a woman. It is very obvious that Mrs. Dashwood cares a great deal for her daughters and does what she can to make sure they are happy in society. Elinor’s great understanding of propriety and sense of self are direct results of her being brought up and not neglected by her mother. Her composure and regard for others is very different from Adeline (who obviously rebels against and ignores social norms and, furthermore, has no control over her perpetual emotional displays). It is interesting to see then that Marianne Dashwood, Elinor’s sister, does not act in the proper way her education prescribes. I believe this can be attributed to the same source that has caused Adeline’s problems: a plethora of literature and a lack of experience. It is noted early on in Sense and Sensibility that Marianne is a avid fan of Romantic literature from authors such as Thomson and Cowper. Below is an example of the type of poetry Marianne would have read:

The lovely youn Lavinia once had friends;

And fortune smil’d, deceitful, on her birth.

For, in her helpless years depriv’d of all,

Of every stay, save Innocence and Heaven,

She with her widow’d mother, feeble, old,

And poor, liv’d in a cottage, far retir’d

Among the windings of a woody vale [Autumn]

The above lines by James Thomson are very romantic and fantastic in nature and it is apparent that these sentiments come out in Marianne’s actions. Therefore, it is not just being literate, or even well read, that makes a woman suitable to be in high society. Marianne herself is a great piano player and has quite a bit of talent, yet that should not play into her social understanding. Adeline, too, reads many books, but is not educated; rather, what makes a woman educated in Wollstonecraft’s view is an understanding of where the ideas she reads fit into society. Only through censure of ungrounded ideas and experience can a woman truly be educated.

            In Austen’s Lady Susan, Susan Vernon laments to her friend Alicia Johnson that her daughter is “a stupid girl, & has nothing to recommend her” [Lady Susan, VII]. However, this comment is quite unfair of Lady Susan to make as the reason for her daughter’s stupidity is the neglect Susan shows towards the girl. Without a mother there to prescribe to her the ways of the world, as Wollstonecraft urges, Frederica is lost and hopeless. Another peripheral character worth examining is Mrs. Jennings in Sense and Sensibility. Mrs. Jennings is constantly making out of line remarks and inappropriate jokes, but always seems to get away with it. The reason for this is because she is not only an older woman not looking to marry, but also a property holder. Because she is one of the few women to inhabit the role of a man by owning her estate, it seems she has special exemption from the judgment the younger women in the aforementioned novels receive. Finally, the other Adeline, from Romance of the Forest, displays a considerable amount of propriety and manners in the presence of LaMotte and his family due entirely to her education she received in the convent her father placed her. In this instance, the nuns of the convent filled the maternal role, making sure that she is educated in the ways of her society, much as her mother would have educated her had she been able to do so.

            From the examples presented above it is clear that there is indeed a correlation between education and behavioral propriety. Wollstonecraft is quite correct in her assertion that women must have an education about the world in order to fit into it. Clearly Opie, Austen and Radcliffe all understood the importance of education when they were presenting their readers with uneducated females and this is why these characters are assigned less than savory fates. 

Works Cited

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. Émile. Trans. Allan Bloom. New York. Reprint online.  

18^th Century Piano Concert. Picture. Oboe Classics Online. Oboeclassics.com.

Thomson, James. “Autumn”. The Poetical Works of James Thomson. 2 vols. Glasgow: Andrew Foulis, 1798.

Social Economy George du Maurier. Punch. 25 January 1890, p. 42.

Wollstonecraft, Mary. A Vindication of the rights of women. London: Eighteenth-Century Collections Online. Web.