Sarah Fielding, The Governess; or Little Female Academy

Pamela Price (Cardiff University)

Ed. by Dimitra Fimi, University of Glasgow
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1749 - 1749

Places

United Kingdom (Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

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The Governess; or, The Little Female Academy

, by Sarah Fielding (1710-1768) was first published in 1749 and is widely considered “the first full-length example of English juvenile fiction”, albeit not the first children’s book (Avery 2002, p. 145). As a novel, specifically for girls, it is a significant text in the study of eighteenth-century female education. Books written and marketed for children were a growing trend in the eighteenth century paralleling the teachings of John Locke in the aim to educate and entertain the child reader. The title page of Fielding’s novel informs the reader that it was “Calculated for the Entertainment and Instruction of Young Ladies in their Education” (Fielding 2005 [1749], p. 43). The narrative is a bildungsroman and explores the lives of…

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3087 words

Citation: Price, Pamela. "The Governess; or Little Female Academy". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 December 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=40492, accessed 09 May 2024.]

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