I happened upon this fascinating essay called “The Governess in Nineteenth-Century Literature”. Before you rush over to read it, I must warn you that not once does it mention corporal punishment. This fact hasn’t stopped me from enjoying it a lot, and perverting it to my heart’s content.
For example, these lines: “…Retaining a governess served as a status symbol, signifying the power and wealth of the family. A governess also helped validate a family’s membership in the ranks of the leisure class, a station characterized by the fact that the lady of the house was truly a woman of leisure.”
Picture a family, only marginally rich, but hungry for the status awarded to the truly wealthy. They’ll have to be frugal about many things, but their daughters will have the best governess the family can find. Appearances are very important: the girls must have impeccable manners, learn all the necessary accomplishments, and be ready to woo suitors of a better rank than their father’s. It’s certainly important that the governess is particularly strict with them, as their father explains to her at the start of her engagement.
“Why,” she says, surprised. “I’m used to chastising boys, but girls, as old as fourteen and fifteen? Are you certain, sir?”
“I’m certain. Their mother has been too soft with them. There is a birch tree in the garden, and I would like you to make a good use of it in their education.”
Back to the article. “The general dismissive attitude towards governesses had many roots, but there is an abundance of instances in contemporary letters, journals, and fiction describing public humiliation and degradation by employers of the very person they’d charged with the upbringing of their children.”
A young governess in her first position finds herself facing the child’s mother, who looks at her with visible displeasure. “I saw you return from your walk today with little Anne,” says the mother. “Her hat and gloves were off.”
“She doesn’t like wearing them when it’s hot,” the governess says, knowing full well that she should have found a way to make the little tyrant dress properly.
“Nonsense. She will do as she is told, and if she doesn’t, she will feel the back of your hairbrush. Perhaps, you yourself need a reminder how a hairbrush can help a young person mend her ways?”
“What? No!” the governess is horrified, but the mother gives her a nasty smile.
“I think you’ll find that it would be to your advantage to submit to my discipline. It would be very difficult for you to find a new position without a glowing reference from your first employer. Come and see me in my bedroom tonight, after Anne is asleep. Wear your night dress and nothing else.”
As tears spring to the young woman’s eyes, she knows she will do exactly as she is told.
I could keep going through the article in search of the juicy bits, but I’d be here all day – I’m sure you don’t need me to help you pervert it!
A governess be she young or old at time need to be reminded on their bare bottoms, that they too need to mend their erring ways. So up should go their dress, down should come their bloomer’s, and a good walloping with a birchrod, or cane should vigoriously befall their naked rear ends.
Have you read “Jane and her master”? Steven Rawlings I think was the author’s name and published by Silver Moon. It is an elaborate and very clever parody of “Jane Eyre”, starting from her arrival at Thornfield as a governess, and going to the end of the book, and takes this theme of yours on much further. It is a very exciting story, as well as being extremely clever to anyone who knows the original!
Ernest
There’s a witty review of “Jane and her master” here:
http://thesqueee.blogspot.com/2011/04/jane-and-her-master-by-stephen-rawlings.html
Another parody of “Jane Eyre” is “The Governess’s strange desires” by Dennis Lord published by Venus library in 1972
Dear Haron and Abel,
You might be interested to know that this recent piece inspired a very interesting game the other day! First a friend of mine was a strict governess who had to deal with a young boy, recently gone to Eton, who believed that her authority over his sisters should not extend to him. How wrong her was!
Afterwards I changed roles to the boy’s father, who had to explain to the governess that although she was disciplining his son quite satisfactorily during the holidays, she was being much too lax with his daughters. You can imagine the very exciting consequences!
Thank you for a great and inspirational blog!
Ernest