Date of Award
Summer 8-3-2011
Degree Type
Closed Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
English
First Advisor
Michael Galchinsky
Second Advisor
LeeAnne Richardson
Third Advisor
Paul Schmidt
Abstract
Surrogate motherhood abounds in nineteenth-century fiction. Governesses, nurses, aunts, and close family friends often form strong attachments with young girls, guiding them through life and their comings-of-age. Many surrogate mothers train their “daughters” according to the rules of societal expectations that mothers and daughters have cordial, respectful relationships, where the mother is unselfish, loving, and sympathetic toward her respectful, obedient, honest daughter. Many other nineteenth-century novels, however, depict surrogate mothers who are cruel, selfish, and unloving toward their “daughters.” While the role of the surrogate mother exists in various forms, it is regardless a strong presence in nineteenth-century fiction that leads daughters to choose to become surrogate mothers themselves.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/2101637
Recommended Citation
Huie, Kathryn M., "Three Daughters in Search of Mothers: Exploring Surrogate Motherhood in Nineteenth-Century British Literature." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2011.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/2101637