Private education; or, A practical plan for the studies of young ladies
Elizabeth Appleton’s first book, Private Education; or a practical plan for the studies of young ladies, was published in 1815 by Henry Colburn. The book contains various plans and observations on the education of girls and women and is addressed to parents and governesses. The book is divided into twelve chapters that discuss various aspects of young women’s education, such as reading, writing, arithmetic, music, geography, astronomy, painting, and so on. In this research essay, I examine various paratextual elements of Appleton’s book, such as the title, title page, publisher, dedication, address to parents and private governesses, and the format, in order to demonstrate how the paratext is significant to how Appleton presents her ideas and influences her readers’ reception of the text.
Title
The title of Elizabeth Appleton’s book, Private Education; or a practical plan for the studies of young ladies. With an address to parents, private governesses, and young ladies, is rather lengthy, including descriptive information about her work. The lengthiness of this title is perhaps intentional as Appleton wishes to provide readers with a description of the subject, scope, and purpose of her book. In the title alone, Appleton not only provides information about the subject of her work – the education of women – but also the specific audience that she is addressing – parents, private governesses, and young ladies. Moreover, the inclusion of the words “practical plan” shows her readers that her book is intended to provide them with a sort of tangible plan that can be used for educating girls.
Title Page
The title page of Elizabeth Appleton’s book features the full title of her work, signed by her name, an epigraph, and information on her publisher, such as his address, and the date of publication. Apart from the epigraph, every letter on the title page is capitalized, indicating the standard formatting practice of title pages. The title of Appleton’s work is separated by lines, and she uses a larger font size for the words “private education,” “practical plan” and “studies of young ladies.” The use of larger font sizes for these words is perhaps used to emphasize the purpose of her work. Appleton seems to emphasize the words “private education” as they appear first on the title page, are written in the largest font size, and are bolded. This technique seems to result in a simplification of the lengthy title of her work by minimizing the appearance of the title to only include the two words “private education”. The author’s name is also separated from the title by two lines, allowing her name to stand out on the page. By enhancing the visibility of her name, Appleton is perhaps hoping to strengthen her reputation as an author and educator. Unlike some other women writers who published anonymously during this time, Appleton is clearly making herself noticeable as the author. In her letter to the publisher, Henry Colburn, Appleton hints at some financial stress as she indicates her eagerness to have her book published. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that Appleton had hopes of building her reputation as a way of earning a living.
Publisher
Appleton’s book was published in 1815 by Henry Colburn. Colburn was born in 1784/5 and began his career sometime before 1807. He was a well-known British publisher, publishing over 100 works between 1807-1815 (Garside). While Appleton was likely required to disclose her publisher’s name on the title page of her book, displaying a well-known publisher's name may have added some credibility to her work. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, states that Colburn was “one of the most significant publishers of his period”; therefore, the ideas presented in Appleton’s work would have likely received a more positive reception from her readers having her book published under the name of a well-established publisher. However, other resources mention that Colburn was notorious for suspicious publication practices and as a distributor “of incendiary and salacious literature” (Ling). Whether this impacted the credibility of Appleton’s works is uncertain, but likely did not due to the success she acquired by establishing a school for girls and earning a high income after the publication of this book.
Dedication
Appleton dedicates her book to the Countess of Leven and Melville. Appleton began working as a governess around 1814. She taught the daughters of the 9th Earl of Leven and maintained good relations with this royal family. The dedication not only serves as an expression of gratitude to the Countess and Earl of Leven and Melville but also provides Appleton the ability to display to her readers her experience as an educator. Dedicating her book to a highborn family not only strengthens the credibility of Appleton’s work but also enhances her own credibility as an experienced educator.
Address to Parents and Private Governesses
At the beginning of Appleton’s book, she addresses both parents and private governesses. By addressing her audience quite literally, she is signaling who should buy and read the book. These two addresses may also function to allow her readers to develop a sense of connection to the subject of the book. In her address to parents, she raises some important concerns, such as the wage of governesses. She argues that if parents can afford to pay for various non-essential luxuries, then they ought to raise the salary of their governesses who are “dedicating her youth, abilities, strength, and mind” (11) to their children. Appleton is perhaps using this address to engage parents with the text as if in conversation. She seems to use this technique as a way of laying emphasis on particular concerns, such as the “undervalued” (13) work of governesses. Somewhat distinctly from how she is addressing parents, in her address to governesses, Appleton connects with other governesses by sharing her own personal experiences. She addresses governesses as her “friends” (26) and indicates how she intends to “offer a few scattered remarks, founded upon experience” (26). While the literary techniques in both addresses seem to differ in the way that she engages her audience, the use of both addresses signifies that Appleton is attempting to form a relationship with her readers as if they were in a direct conversation.
Format
Appleton’s book contains annotations within its page margins. The use of annotations is often to provide additional information about the text itself. In this book, it seems that Appleton annotates to simplify some of the information that she presents to her readers. While the original text provides careful detail about certain topics, the notes found on the sides of each page function to clarify the information that Appleton is presenting. Moreover, the use of annotations allows readers to scan through text in the case that they are searching for particular information. In chapter three, Appleton goes into great detail about teaching children English grammar. In an annotation, she writes: “There are no good spelling books for children” (101). This annotation not only allows readers to summarize the much lengthier detail she provides on spelling books but also to use it as a guide if they wish to read this particular topic in further detail.
In Appleton’s book Private Education; or a practical plan the studies of young ladies, the paratextual elements observed among the title, title page, publisher, dedication, address to parents and private governesses, and the format, are not only integral to strengthening her credibility as an author but also to strengthening her argumentative claim of broadening girls’ education and how the author interacts with her audience.
Works Cited
Appleton, Elizabeth. Private Education; or a practical plan for the studies of young ladies. With an address to parents, private governesses, and young ladies. Henry Colburn, 1815, The British Library.
Garside, Peter. “Colburn, Henry.” Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, (Oxford University Press, 23 September 2004)
Ling, Audrey. “Glenarvon. in Three Volumes.” John Murray in 1816, 5 Nov. 2016, johnmurrayin1816.wordpress.com/glenarvon-analysis-by-audrey/.
