Posted by Caroline on June 28, 1997 at 12:50:35:
In reply to Re: Confinement posted by The Mysterious H.C. on June 27, 1997 at 21:20:31
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] ] How long was confinement, and how voluntary was it? My sister says that it was (forced by society) from the time a woman started to show until after she had had the baby, but I believe she is referencing more the Victorian era (and mostly GWTW), not the Regency era. Of course, with the style of dress they wore back then, they might not show until they were *GREAT* with child.
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] Kathy, we've discussed this before on Austen-L and on the board here, and it doesn't really seem to be as all-encompassing and as rigid as what your sister implies.
] Follow this link to the beginning of the discussion.
I have asked this question before, and got no answer,but I'll ask it again.I sure I have read of "churching" a woman as a formal end to her confinement. I presume that this was a church service, but have no reason for this assumption, either! Again, I have a memory of it being mainly the poorer classes, and at the the end of the last century. Does anyone have any ideas on this?
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