Spoiled children and miserable educators. Fractions in eighteenth-century English family relationships

Authors

• Henna Karppinen-Kummunmäki Turun yliopisto
• Marjo Kaartinen

Abstract

This article explores the complicated, yet loving, family relationships in eighteenth-century England. What happened when the ideal of well-behaving and obedient children and caring, devoted parents shattered? This cultural historical article focuses on the personal experience of English elite families and the ways the failures in children’s education was discussed. We pinpoint that both the expectations and the ways people reacted were highly gendered. These failures are not easy to find as problems within the family were rarely communicated in an explicit ways. We trace family fractions and problems from a variety of sources such as letters, diaries and memoirs, and combine them with normative texts such as conduct books and educational treatises. We show that both parents and children were fully aware of the expectations laid at their door and where ready to comment when things did not go right. Good education of children was crucial for their future success in life and the happiness of their parents.