Tiptoeing around Mrs. N.
Posted by gkb on June 22, 1998 at 11:50:39:
In response to Mrs. Norris revisited, written by Constanza on June 21, 1998 at 18:27:55
] 1) why Mrs. Norris chose a niece and not a nephew
] Could it be because raising a woman would be cheaper than raising a man? That is, if you were to raise a gentelaman you would have had to send him to Eton or some other school and then get him some profession, and that would mean university and orders or buying a comission, whereas in the case of a lady only a dowry was required
I expect this is exactly the case
] 2) Why is that Mrs. Norris is so settled on economizing?
She had to settle for a far lesser income than her younger sister, and may have originally viewed it as her duty to regulate her expectations--but finding it an area of personal control, her contriving, managing self took delight in it for its own sake. She would have made a fine executive at an insurance company!
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