The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-05-31
GIRLS IN FICTION.
Views of Mrs. Alexander, the
Well-Known Novelist.
IMMENSE VARIETY OF TYPES
Young Women of Fifty Years Ago Com
pared With Those of Today
Modern Heroines.

luea OF an elderly novel reader, looking
pack TO the romances which charmed her
early and maturer youth. How are the
mighty fallen? In the favorite novels of
the "forties" the young girl was adelicate,
not TO say diaphanous creature-far re-
moved from the vulgar realities of life,
tenderly reared and carefully guarded
from contact with the outer world. Con-
stantly under the watchful eye of papa"
and mamma" and perfectly unconscious
OF her own charms.
Inc appearance of the hero either
agitated her with almost hysterical shy
ness, or, If she were of the ferociously
virtuous order and any enigmatical rumors
against his strict propriety of conduct had
reached her ears land by miraculous reve-
iation her UNDERSTANDING, she immedi-
ately set up cold and naughty reserve
which quickly refrigerated the unhappy
sinner, and penetrated through his several
walstcoats to his inner consciousness.
THESE girls of an early period had certain
pecuiiarities of habit and custom, which
are interesting to recall as making the
great difference between 'then" and
now" The young girl in fiction forty
years ago was given to silk stockings and
sandalled" slippers. l do not think that
In the whole range of "the Minerva press'
pair OF strong, lace-up boots or wooden
stockings could be found, unless, indeed,
the dainty, delicate heroine changed
clothes with the buxom daughter of one of
her fathers faithful retainers. tenants or
domestics, as the period might be, in order
to escape the fearful Vaccinations of the
vlilain-generally Sir Somebody Some
thing, for ever since they were created
(heraldically) baronets have been most
cruelty doomed by writer's (of fiction) to
work wickedness and do deviltry. There
must be some evil influence in their SIMS
ter cognizance. ''The bloody hand"
1t must be confessed that the angelic
girls in fiction of this date, who never wa
vered in their devotion to the mos tyran-
nical father nor ceased to adore the most
unbending mother, are somewhat limp in
ventions. They are so addicted to fainting
when it was most essential to descend that
ladder of ropes, or step into the boat, or
run away from Sir Somebody Some
thing who finds it all the easier to
carry his helpless victim across his saddle
bow because she is insensible, that at
length the desire to throw jug of cold
water over them becomes maddening.
works Of fiction is the untidy way they did
their hair. They never had but one pin in
it, and that was sure to fall out or be play
fully pulled out by the young girls cherub
of nephews, or imp of pupil (if she were
governess), and then down comes
shower of golden tresses or a cloud of
raven locks 'softly dark" as summers
night. Raven locks were the fashion in
fiction forty years ago. The governess
heroine afforded intense cumulative inter
est in those simple days. Heavens! what
indignities were heaped upon her devoted
head Squire Bovine Blunderbone, the
stern head of the ancient manoral family,
bullied her; Dame Vinaigrette, his acidu-
lated wife, prodded her with bodkins (met-
aphorically). The scornful elder daughter
made her butt, the younger
one, crossed in love and dying
of decline adored her, so did the younger
children, who were given to browning her
with flowers in odd corners of the garden,
when her hair generally came down again.
The neighboring wicked earl prosecuted
her with his base designs and the son and
heir stood by her loyalty, and did more
harm than good thereby. When she did
not die on somebody s doorstep on snowy
night she came off victorious all along the
line, converts the squire into meek saint,
receives the last repentant breath of his
WIFE unmasks the double dealing of the
eldest daughter and marries the adoring
son and heir.
"Nous dUons changes tout celia" The gov
erness heroine of modern fiction arrives
in her new home with fascinating rig
out of most becoming garments, including
an exquisitely fitting habit, and forthwith
takes command of the household. AT first
she is gently suggestive to the mistress,
piquantly argumentative to the master,
fascinating to the children and mysteri-
ously stand-off with the son and heir, till
she gradually draws all into her net and
leads up to some extraordinary denoue-
ment. This. however, is only one branch
of the subject In "The Girl" of fiction
a gradual change may be traced from
the days of Bulwer Lytton, Disraeli,
Dickens and Thackeray to the present.
They have developed more and more of
decision and character, together with some
less admirable qualities, the virtue of self
abnegation has disappeared altogether,
being swallowed up by what the young
ladies themselves would call individuality.
The ''ingenue" owes it to herself not to
permit father" to tyranniZe or mother" to
worry about rights of personal freedom.
1t is bad for the old people and annoying
to the young. The young girl of modern
fiction piques herself on her common
sense and disdains to undervalue her own
stock in trade-I mean her good points.
She even acknowledges that all her points
are not good. but believes that on the
whole she can strike tolerable balance.
She usually troubles herself a good deal
about the problems of life, and believes
more or less enthusiastically in sundry
nostrums for the cure of various evils
which abound in society. These she is
given to enlarge upon TO any listener she
can catch.
OF these girls in modern fiction there are
an immense variety of types. The High
church aesthetic girl, who goes to early
service, fasts hard in Lent, spends her sub
stance in church decorations and school
treats and worships the long-coated
energetic ascetic curate-who by the way
is often a very fine fellow. They have
heartrending differences of opinion on
points of faith and doctrine and some
times come to tragic end, for even in re-
Iigious life the all-pervading tendency to
independence inclines the female mind TO
resist even the dictum of that embodiment
of power, the Pastor Lover!
The opposite 10 this type, the free-thInk-
ing girl, is less numerous, perhaps, than
others, still she exists in sufficient de-
gree to deserve notice. She Is generally