Posted by jj on July 24, 1997 at 23:18:54:
In reply to yes, the father figure thing bugs me posted by Ann on July 24, 1997 at 17:32:03
] ] Is anyone else a little disturbed by this whole "raise your own wife!" theme?
] I always have been. It looks to me like he trained Emma to be everything he wanted in a wife. I'm bugged by his being in love with her since she was a young girl.
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Don't you think that your being bugged is due to the fact that our views on marriage, etc., now are so different than they were then? I don't think it was at all unusual for older men to marry very young women then, and it was probably looked on quite favorably. After all, a gentlewoman couldn't really go out and make a living for herself, so she'd have to marry someone well established and able to keep a household. This would often mean someone considerably older. After all, there couldn't be that many Frank Churchills around - young, rich, independent men. I have to admit that the line about being in love with Emma since she was thirteen bothered me, too. But again - it's probably due to our very different views now on the place of women in society.