Good point, and another thought. (THE LIBRARY message #4551)

Good point, and another thought.

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Posted by Barbara on March 02, 1998 at 23:24:22:

In response to Bad Mother?, written by Cheryl on March 02, 1998 at 00:45:09

]

] Was Cassandra Leigh Austen a bad mother? I can't decide, and it appears that Tomalin can't either.

] Tomalin does say that although it seems harsh to us, all the children (excepting George) turned out well; healthy, cheerful, ambitious. Whether she was a good or a bad mother (or more likely a mixture of the two) she got good results!

I've been really up in the air about this while reading the first chapter, too. It seems as if it was an entirely acceptable way to behave---certainly a clergyman's wife would never do something that society regarded as uncaring or improper. But it certainly does go against everything we believe about child-rearing these days.

Something I found interesting was the assertion that the Austens must have been hoping that Jane would be their last child, and that separate bedchambers were the usual form of birth control, which they apparently did not practice. I was thinking that if they had kept the babies around the house instead of farming them out, they might have got their wish, as fatigue is a very effective method of birth control!

REPLIES:

Another good point! Caroline 09:37:41 3/03/98 (0)

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