Adeline Mowbray; or, The Mother and Daughter
About This Book
The narrative follows a widowed mother and her only daughter, portraying how the mother's fascination with abstract educational and philosophical theories dictates the child's upbringing through inconsistent rules and frequent neglect. The daughter cultivates a love of speculative thought and secret authorship, developing habits of reverie and intellectual pride that distance her from immediate duties and family warmth. Episodes highlight the mother's hypocrisy as professed principles collide with timid, indulgent behavior and erratic household discipline. The work examines education, the perils of theory unmoored from practice, expectations placed on women, and the social and personal consequences that arise when belief is not matched by conduct.
About the Author
