CHARLOTTE SMITH (1749-1806)

               
    Charlotte Turner Smith was born in 1749, and in 1764, married to Benjamin Smith. 
Benjamin Smith was a heavy drinker, bad gambler, and overall a lousy husband.  (Fletcher, 
Charlotte and Ben proceeded to have twelve children. (Fletcher, 30-35)  Ben was
horrible with finances, and the task of providing for the Smith family fell upon Charlotte. 
She began writing,  and eventually published numerous works between the years of 1784 and
posthumously in 1807.  She led a very harsh life, and was against arranged marriages.
She attributed most of her misfortune to her marriage, likening herself to a slave. 
     Charlotte Smith paved the way for many female authors who were to follow her, and
helped to carve out the Gothic genre, an up and coming classification of novels.  What
child rearing meant to Charlotte Smith is a total devotion to her children.  She was the sole
bread winner, and continued to support them after they were married with children of
their own. 

Biography of Charlotte Turner Smith
 antique picture of charlotte smith, younger with a scarf around her head


CHILD REARING COMPARISON / CONTRASTS OF DESMOND AND THE OLD MANOR HOUSE

    Both novels had benefactors present: Mr. Bethel and Mrs. Rayland.  Both benefactors are consulted for advice, gave advice readily, and took on parental responsibilities to both Desmond and Orlando. 

    Mr. Bethel was very warm with Desmond, acting as a father figure for him complete with advice and concern, and like a father, he watches over Geraldine for Desmond even though he feels Geraldine is a very unhealthy habit for Desmond.  This is very unlike Mrs. Rayland who is not a warm parental figure, but she was consulted many times concerning Orlando.  Her responsibilities as a parent came when she set up Orlando with Rayland Hall.  This was actually the job of Mr. Somerive, Orlando's biological father, but he was unable to do so. 

     Mr. Bethel doesn't have the power issues that Mrs. Rayland had.  He never held anything over Desmond's head to keep him coming back around, and instead his concerns and advice goes to Desmond with no strings attached.  Desmond keeps a very close relationship to him, and this demonstrates that Desmond feels the respect and love that he would give a father.  Mrs. Rayland, however, has deep power issues.  She believes that if she relied on Orlando to come and visit her regularly without the promise of money to come, then he would not regard her with respect or even regard her at all.  Mrs. Rayland never operates without strings. 



PARENTING ACCORDING TO CHARLOTTE SMITH

    Charlotte Smith wrote Geraldine's character to be a near perfect woman.  The only way that Geraldine is not perfect is that she married Verney in the first place.  Smith felt that Geraldine sacrificing herself to Verney for the sake of her children was very natural because she did it in her own life.   Motherhood was Smith's ultimate job, in which the writing only supported her greatest assets - her children. 

    Smith was adamantly against arranged marriages, or "good matches," or marriage for profit.  This is evident in Geraldine, Orlando, Mrs. Rayland, and the Somerives.  The whole reason Mrs. Rayland looked down upon the Somerives is that they had the nerve to marry for love, not money.  Then, Smith proceeds to make a slight baffoon out of  Mrs. Rayland for being so old-fashioned.  This is demonstrated in Mrs. Rayland's letter in which she tried to write it in an antiquated style, and the letter looks ridiculous. 

                 "I have received youre letter, and am oblidged by your taking the troubbel to informe me of youre famely affairs, to the wich I am
                  a sinceer goode wisher...I shoulde thinke a pitye to put to a trade...However that may bee, I saie again..." (Old Manor House, 102-3)