Actresses in the late XVIII century
Posted by Constanza on November 27, 1997 at 19:59:19:
A few months ago I read the Scarlet Pimpernel. In the novel, Sir Percy Blakeney is married to a French actress of the Commedie Francaise. She is plebeyan but quite respectable and after her marriage she becomes a fashion leader in Court. The novel is set circa 1790, which is not Regency yet I believe.
The question is this: weren't actresses regarded as women of loose morals, ie not quite the thing for a gentleman to marry to?
Perhaps you have read the Scarlet Pimpernel, and in that case there's no need for me to tell you that Marguerite St Just is a highly respected and respectable woman and Sir Blakeney is considered as a lucky man for having won such a wife!
I have been puzzled by this question for some months and maybe one of you may help me???
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