- May 2019
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annotatingausten.sfsuenglishdh.net annotatingausten.sfsuenglishdh.net
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“It was a subject which they could not mention before me.”
For a wife to speak about finances was not a topic for discussion as the wife is expected to present the husband's material success through appearance (Sarah Stickney Ellis, The Women of England, Their Social Duties, and Domestic Habit 176).
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Charlotte is an excellent manager, I dare say.
Once women were made wives they had the duty of managing the house. The main goal of being a manager of the house was to create a tranquil house that resembled the nineteenth century values such as virtue and thrift. (The Women of England, Their Social Duties, and Domestic Habit 174)
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profusion
"An abundance or large quantity of something" (OED).
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I want to be told whether I ought, or ought not, to make our acquaintance in general understand Wickham’s character.
The topic of Wickham's and Georgiana's attempted elopement would be a vulgar subject to speak about. Especially for someone like Elizabeth who is not close to the Darcy family. It would look inappropriate to speak at the fear of looking too familiar and going beyond the boundaries of social decency. (Helen Amy, Jane Austen's England, 2017)
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He is now, perhaps, sorry for what he has done, and anxious to re-establish a character
A man eloping was seen as disgraceful because of his involvement bringing scandal upon a lady. It would be important for a man to prove as changed in order to be respected back in society. If the news was found out it could jeopardize an attempt at climbing the social ladder. (Helen Amy, Jane Austen's England, 2017)
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