All things Quote by Sarah Fielding
“The loss of liberty which must attend being a wife was of all things the most horrible to my imagination.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The History of the Countess of Pembroke, 1748
Being a wife is portrayed as a loss of personal freedom, evoking dread and horror in the narrator’s imagination.
In simple terms: Marriage seen as loss of freedom.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and discuss gender expectations.
Themes
gender roles
marriage
freedom
imagination
horror
Mood
melancholic
reflective
Type
literary
historical
When to use this quote
- historical context
- literary analysis
- modern feminist critique
Key Concepts
Patriarchal constraints
personal autonomy
Questions to Reflect On
- How does this reflect 18th‑century views on women?
- Can we separate personal liberty from marital commitment?
A Different Perspective
The view may romanticize suffering as inevitable.
![“[S]haring in common, without any thought of separate property, had ever been their friendly practice, from their first connection.” quote by Sarah Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cd3/sarah-fielding-19151_common_s-haring-in-common-without-any-thought-o_353370.jpg)
![“[H]ow do I pity those who (assuming the name of friends) surround themselves with maxims importing the wisdom of doubt and suspicion, 'til they impose on themselves that very hard task of laboring through life without ever knowing a human creature to whom they can make the proper use of language…” quote by Sarah Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2d0/sarah-fielding-19151_assuming_h-ow-do-i-pity-those-who-assuming-the-na_687697.jpg)
