Gender in 19th century Britain

The Changing Education of Middle-Class Girls in the 19th Century

New Educational Needs

• Middle-class girls required a new type of education to adapt to their evolving lifestyles, particularly as they no longer assisted with household chores due to the presence of servants.

• With fathers' businesses located far from home, these girls spent their days at home and needed skills for future roles, primarily focused on marriage.

Skills for Marriage

• The primary goal for middle-class women was to marry a suitable man—solvent and healthy—with parental approval.

• To attract potential husbands, girls learned accomplishments such as conversational French, piano playing, and social etiquette.

Limitations on Learning

• While education was encouraged, there were strict limits; becoming a "blue stocking" (a woman overly educated or intellectual) was frowned upon.

• A blue stocking was seen as undesirable because she might engage in political discussions or read classical texts in original languages.

Societal Expectations and Consequences

• There were concerns that excessive reading could lead to physical changes perceived as masculine, resulting in societal rejection.

• Women faced a double bind: they had to be attractive yet not overly concerned with their looks or express sexual desire.

Fashion's Role in Identity

• Fashion significantly influenced the identity of middle-class women; impractical clothing like the crinoline emerged when women retreated into domesticity.

• The crinoline restricted women's mobility and functionality, symbolizing societal constraints placed on them during this period.

Personal Struggles of Educated Women

• Many educated women felt suffocated by societal expectations; Florence Nightingale experienced hysteria due to her constrained lifestyle despite coming from a loving family.

• Elizabeth Barrett Browning sought creative expression through poetry but faced pressure to conform to domestic roles expected of well-off women.

Exploring the Life of a Poet

The Impact of Illness on Creativity

• The subject becomes ill and withdraws to a room at the top of her family's house in Wimpole Street, effectively becoming a "professional invalid."

• This withdrawal allows her to escape normal household duties, creating an environment conducive to creativity.

• During this period, she enjoys long hours for reading and writing, which leads to the production of some of her best poetry.

• Her illness serves as an unconscious catalyst for her artistic output, highlighting how personal struggles can influence creative processes.

• The arrival of Robert Browning, a handsome young poet, marks a significant moment in her life that intertwines with her creative journey.