Article published In:
New Approaches to the Study of Later Modern English[Historiographia Linguistica 33:1/2] 2006
► pp. 109–137
[Historiographia Linguistica 33:1/2] 2006
► pp. 109–137
Disciplining women?
Grammar, gender, and leisure in the works of Ellenor Fenn (1743–1813)
On the basis of an analysis of works for children published by Ellenor Fenn (1743–1813) in the 1780s, an argument is offered concerning the significance of English grammar to the domestic education of elite boys and girls. The topic is contextualized in overviews of the high social value of grammar and of the maternal educator, idealized for her ‘civilizing’ influence, especially on men. Some elite mothers were criticized by Fenn and her contemporaries for preferring public life to domestic responsibility or for indulging their children. While acknowledging the difficulties of child-rearing and the challenges to women’s domestic authority, Fenn and others spell out the consequences of failing to train young males in particular. The author argues that educational toys and age-graded books like Fenn’s encouraged loving mothers to socialize their children while simultaneously displaying their wealth. Grammar, because of its associations with order, was central to this domestic curriculum. While not overtly challenging conventional gender roles, Fenn represented ‘sprightly’ young females not as intellectually superficial but as naturally quick to learn and playfully able to teach young males and females. Their pedagogical duties justified young women’s education and granted women educators domestic authority and public importance.
References
A.Works by Ellenor Fenn
Fenn, Ellenor
[1785] The Art of Teaching in Sport; Designed as a prelude to a set of toys, for enabling ladies to instill the rudiments of spelling, reading, grammar, and arithmetic, under the idea of amusement. London: Printed and sold by John Marshall & Co. [BL 1031 f 19 (1)]
[1798] The Child’s Grammar. Designed to enable ladies who may not have attended to the subject themselves to instruct their children. London: Printed and sold by John Marshall. [BL Ch. 800/242]
[1783] Cobwebs to Catch Flies: or, dialogues in short sentences, adapted to children from the age of three to eight years. in two volumes. London: Printed and sold by John Marshall & Co. [BL 1210.l.1(2)]
[1784?] Cobwebs to Catch Flies, or, dialogues in short sentences adapted to children from the age of three to eight years: in two volumes. London: Printed and sold by John Marshall. [Osborne Collection.]
[1783] Fables, by Mrs Teachwell: in which the morals are drawn incidentally in various ways. London: John Marshall & Co.
[1783] Fables in Monosyllables by Mrs. Teachwell; to which are added morals, in dialogues, between a mother and children. London: Printed and sold by John Marshall & Co.
1789 The Fairy Spectator: or, the invisible monitor. By Mrs. Teachwell and her family. London: Printed by and for John Marshall.
1784 The Female Guardian. Designed to correct some of the foibles incident to girls, and supply them with innocent amusement for their hours of leisure. by a lady. London: Printed and sold by John Marshall & Co.
[1783] Juvenile Correspondence; or, letters, suited to children from four to above ten years of age in three sets. London: Printed and sold by John Marshall & Co.
1789 The Juvenile Tatler. By a society of young ladies. under the tuition of Mrs Teachwell. London: Printed and sold by J. Marshall & Co.
[1798] The Mother’s Grammar. Being a continuation of the child’s grammar. With lessons for parsing. and a few already done as examples. London: Printed and sold by John Marsaall [
sic
]. [BL RB23.a.11219.]
1798 Parsing Lessons for Elder Pupils: Resolved into their elements, for the assistance of parents and teachers. By Mrs Lovechild. London: Printed for E. Newbery.
1798 Parsing Lessons for Young Children: Resolved into their elements, for the assistance of parents and teachers, by Mrs. Lovechild. London: Printed for E. Newbery.
[1786] The Rational Dame; or, hints towards supplying prattle for children. London: Printed and sold by John Marshall & Co.
[1783] Rational Sports. In dialogues passing among the children of a family. designed as a hint to mothers how they may inform the minds of their little people respecting the objects with which they are surrounded. London: Printed and sold by John Marshall & Col. [BL Ch. 780/44]
[1783/1784] School Dialogues, for boys. Being an attempt to convey instruction insensibly to their tender minds. London: Printed and sold by John Marshall.
[1787] A Spelling Book, designed to render the acquisition of the rudiments of our native language easy and pleasant. By Mrs. Teachwell. London: Printed and sold by J. Marshall & Co.
1809 The Teacher’s Assistant, in the art of teaching grammar in sport. designed to render the subject familiar to children. London: Printed for J. Harris (successor to E. Newbery).
1980 [1784] 3 July 1784 Letter to Horace Walpole. The Yale Edition of Horace Walpole’s Correspondence ed. by W. S. Lewis. Vol. 421: Miscellaneous Correspondence III ed. by W. S. Lewis & John Riely, p. 106. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press.
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