Sarah Wentworth had two children out of marriage- not acceptable for a woman in ‘respectable’ circles. Didn’t affect William’s social connections, but polite society wouldn’t be seen with his wife. One Governor tried to include her in a vice-regal event, but when other women started pulling out, Sarah Wentworth declined the invitation to avoid awkwardness.
Thanks for your response, and for providing links to source material so I can form my own views.
You seem to present a picture of women of the 1850s being so shackled by convention that they are unable to think for themselves. How is that different from today?
I would really love for you to write a story in which a typical 19 year old woman living in 1850 Sydney compares notes with a 19 year old woman from 2025.
Thanks Phil - I like to provide sources, given that the internet can sometimes perpetuate dubious info.
I’m not sure I’d say nineteenth century women didn’t think for themselves. The fact that Lady Franklin made that comment shows that she was reflecting on it to some extent. But in any culture there’s often a cost to going against societal norms and many don’t think critically or prefer not to flout them. I’m not sure that we’re so different today, in that we’re all influenced by our own culture. You’re right that a story bringing two people together across the centuries could be pretty interesting! Thanks for the idea 😀
You're welcome for the idea - though of course I have left the hard parts up to you:
- Researching what life was really like back then.
- Which perspectives to include and how to include them. eg. Sarah had two sisters who married according to convention - how would they have viewed Sarah's choices?
- How to appeal to modern audiences while still giving the old values and customs their due?
- How to understand which differences between the ages are superficial and which are significant?
Why was Sarah Wentworth "of course not visited"? I can think of some reasons but that would just be guessing.
Sarah Wentworth had two children out of marriage- not acceptable for a woman in ‘respectable’ circles. Didn’t affect William’s social connections, but polite society wouldn’t be seen with his wife. One Governor tried to include her in a vice-regal event, but when other women started pulling out, Sarah Wentworth declined the invitation to avoid awkwardness.
Thanks for your response, and for providing links to source material so I can form my own views.
You seem to present a picture of women of the 1850s being so shackled by convention that they are unable to think for themselves. How is that different from today?
I would really love for you to write a story in which a typical 19 year old woman living in 1850 Sydney compares notes with a 19 year old woman from 2025.
Thanks Phil - I like to provide sources, given that the internet can sometimes perpetuate dubious info.
I’m not sure I’d say nineteenth century women didn’t think for themselves. The fact that Lady Franklin made that comment shows that she was reflecting on it to some extent. But in any culture there’s often a cost to going against societal norms and many don’t think critically or prefer not to flout them. I’m not sure that we’re so different today, in that we’re all influenced by our own culture. You’re right that a story bringing two people together across the centuries could be pretty interesting! Thanks for the idea 😀
You're welcome for the idea - though of course I have left the hard parts up to you:
- Researching what life was really like back then.
- Which perspectives to include and how to include them. eg. Sarah had two sisters who married according to convention - how would they have viewed Sarah's choices?
- How to appeal to modern audiences while still giving the old values and customs their due?
- How to understand which differences between the ages are superficial and which are significant?