This is the first and most famous of the Rosamond stories, first published in 1796 as part of The Parent’s Assistant, then in 1801 in Rosamond and in 1821’s Early Lessons, v2. In it we are
introduced to the charming, somewhat willful Rosamond, the seven year old protagonist of these stories. She is a well observed and well-drawn character. Her recurring exclamations of “Hey Mamma” throughout are both believable and endearing. Maria Edgeworth’s writing is grounded in
observed reality. Immediately within this first story we see her educational basis in experience and in a guided decision making process, as well as some embedded social commentary (reminiscent of Wollstonecraft) about women and superficiality.
Rosamond is given the ability to decide between something pretty that she wants but doesn’t need (the apparently purple jar) and something she does need (new shoes). The fact that the jar is not actually purple and that her current shoes are so worn that the have stones coming through the holes in them emphasizes the importance of the decision her mother is allowing her to
make. She is asking her to choose between frivolity and practicality. This is a telling choice for a little girl at a time when
women were supposed to be trivial: Edgeworth’s comment on training women from an early age for decisions, not superficiality. However, Rosamond does what most children do, and tries to find a way to have both what she wants and what she knows she needs, asking her mother if she could buy both the shoes and the jar. Her mother rejects this idea, citing economy.
Why present this story and why is this best known of her children's tales?
This story succeeds on many levels. In this story we see Edgeworth giving a concrete example of the natural consequence of a bad
decision for a child to read or for a parent (presumably mom) to share with them. Helen Zimmern pointed out in her review “Practical Education – Children’s books" (Children’s Literature Review of 1883, p52-72), the difficulty most children had in finding material to read that was not above their heads. Children were read to or if already literate, were reading
books written for adults. Edgeworth gave them something of their own. The character of Rosamond is someone a child would identify with, as is the decision she makes. The descriptions of her adventures are also fun to follow. There are plenty of child friendly, accurate sensory details (as in the descriptions of the windows as she and her mother walk down the street and the “very disagreeable smell” of the shoe shop mentioned on p6. Even the typeface is large and easy to read, and yes, kids, there are
pictures. All this is appealing and leads to a lesson. The reader may cringe at old shoes for a month but the adult reader should remember that this is fiction. A real life mother would probably not let her child walk around in shoes with holes in them; but a fictional mother may, in order to illustrate the author’s educative point. Of course, a fictional mother can also give guidance that a real life mother may not always have the presence of mind to give. We see this when the mother tells her she hasn’t examined the vase well enough to know if she “likes it exceedingly” (p6). This gently nudges the child to evaluate what they see. This encapsulates the essence of science. This story is Edgeworth’s instructional tool for making rational decisions (without winding up with sore feet).
introduced to the charming, somewhat willful Rosamond, the seven year old protagonist of these stories. She is a well observed and well-drawn character. Her recurring exclamations of “Hey Mamma” throughout are both believable and endearing. Maria Edgeworth’s writing is grounded in
observed reality. Immediately within this first story we see her educational basis in experience and in a guided decision making process, as well as some embedded social commentary (reminiscent of Wollstonecraft) about women and superficiality.
Rosamond is given the ability to decide between something pretty that she wants but doesn’t need (the apparently purple jar) and something she does need (new shoes). The fact that the jar is not actually purple and that her current shoes are so worn that the have stones coming through the holes in them emphasizes the importance of the decision her mother is allowing her to
make. She is asking her to choose between frivolity and practicality. This is a telling choice for a little girl at a time when
women were supposed to be trivial: Edgeworth’s comment on training women from an early age for decisions, not superficiality. However, Rosamond does what most children do, and tries to find a way to have both what she wants and what she knows she needs, asking her mother if she could buy both the shoes and the jar. Her mother rejects this idea, citing economy.
Why present this story and why is this best known of her children's tales?
This story succeeds on many levels. In this story we see Edgeworth giving a concrete example of the natural consequence of a bad
decision for a child to read or for a parent (presumably mom) to share with them. Helen Zimmern pointed out in her review “Practical Education – Children’s books" (Children’s Literature Review of 1883, p52-72), the difficulty most children had in finding material to read that was not above their heads. Children were read to or if already literate, were reading
books written for adults. Edgeworth gave them something of their own. The character of Rosamond is someone a child would identify with, as is the decision she makes. The descriptions of her adventures are also fun to follow. There are plenty of child friendly, accurate sensory details (as in the descriptions of the windows as she and her mother walk down the street and the “very disagreeable smell” of the shoe shop mentioned on p6. Even the typeface is large and easy to read, and yes, kids, there are
pictures. All this is appealing and leads to a lesson. The reader may cringe at old shoes for a month but the adult reader should remember that this is fiction. A real life mother would probably not let her child walk around in shoes with holes in them; but a fictional mother may, in order to illustrate the author’s educative point. Of course, a fictional mother can also give guidance that a real life mother may not always have the presence of mind to give. We see this when the mother tells her she hasn’t examined the vase well enough to know if she “likes it exceedingly” (p6). This gently nudges the child to evaluate what they see. This encapsulates the essence of science. This story is Edgeworth’s instructional tool for making rational decisions (without winding up with sore feet).