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Mrs Grundy is a figurative name for an extremely conventional or
prig A prig () is a person who shows an inordinately zealous approach to matters of form and propriety—especially where the prig has the ability to show superior knowledge to those who do not know the protocol in question. They see little need to con ...
gish person, a
personification Personification occurs when a thing or abstraction is represented as a person, in literature or art, as a type of anthropomorphic metaphor. The type of personification discussed here excludes passing literary effects such as "Shadows hold their b ...
of the tyranny of conventional
propriety Etiquette () is the set of norms of personal behaviour in polite society, usually occurring in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviours that accord with the conventions and norms observed and practised by a ...
. A tendency to be overly fearful of what others might think is sometimes referred to as grundyism. Mrs Grundy originated as an
unseen character An unseen character in theatre, comics, film, or television, or silent character in radio or literature, is a character that is mentioned but not directly known to the audience, but who advances the action of the plot in a significant way, and wh ...
in Thomas Morton's 1798 five-act comedy ''
Speed the Plough ''Speed the Plough'' is a five-act comedy by Thomas Morton, first performed in 1798 at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden to great acclaim. It is mostly remembered today for the sake of the unseen character, Mrs Grundy. The play may have been in ...
''. References to Mrs Grundy were eventually so well established in the public imagination that in Samuel Butler's 1872 novel '' Erewhon'', the goddess Ydgrun, an anagram for Grundy, dictates social norms. As a figure of speech, "Mrs Grundy" can be found throughout the English-speaking world.


Original appearance

Curiously for so famous a character, Mrs Grundy never actually appears in the play which introduced her, but is the continual object of the boastful Dame Ashfield's envious watchfulness, as is shown in the very first scene: :''Ashfield.'' Well, Dame, welcome whoam. What news does thee bring vrom market? :''Dame.'' What news, husband? What I always told you; that Farmer Grundy's wheat brought five shillings a quarter more than ours did. :''Ash.'' All the better vor he. :''Dame.'' Ah! the sun seems to shine on purpose for him. :''Ash.'' Come, come, missus, as thee hast not the grace to thank God for prosperous times, dan't thee grumble when they be unkindly a bit. :''Dame.'' And I assure you, Dame Grundy's butter was quite the crack of the market. :''Ash.'' Be quiet, woolye? aleways ding, dinging Dame Grundy into my ears — what will Mrs Grundy zay? What will Mrs Grundy think — Canst thee be quiet, let ur alone, and behave thyzel pratty? :''Dame.'' Certainly I can — I'll tell thee, Tummas, what she said at church last Sunday. :''Ash.'' Canst thee tell what parson zaid? Noa — Then I'll tell thee — A' zaid that envy were as foul a weed as grows, and cankers all wholesome plants that be near it — that's what a' zaid. :''Dame.'' And do you think I envy Mrs Grundy indeed? Although later usage positions her chiefly as a feared dispenser of disapproval, the Mrs Grundy of the play is, in Dame Ashfield's daydreams, not so much a figure of dread as a cowed audience to the accomplishments of the Ashfield family. As the play progresses, Dame Ashfield and her comical musings soon drop from sight to make way for melodrama.


Victorian heyday

With the
Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...
, its new morality of decency, domesticity, serious-mindedness, propriety and community discipline on the one hand, its humbug, hypocrisy and self-deception on the other, Mrs Grundy swiftly rose to a position of censorious authority. In John Poole's 1841 novel '' Phineas Quiddy'', Poole wrote "Many people take the entire world to be one huge Mrs. Grundy, and, upon every act and circumstance of their lives, please, or torment themselves, according to the nature of it, by thinking of what that huge Mrs. Grundy, the World, will say about it". In 1869,
John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, Member of Parliament (MP) and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of classical liberalism, he contributed widely to ...
, himself very aware of the potentially tyrannical power of social opprobrium, referred to Mrs. Grundy in '' The Subjection of Women'', noting that “Whoever has a wife and children has given hostages to Mrs. Grundy”. Butler in his 1872 ''Erewhon'' noted of Ydgrun that “she was held to be both omnipresent and omnipotent; but she was not an elevated conception, and was sometimes both cruel and absurd”. His own preference was for the small group he called High Ydgrunites, who broadly accepted the low-norm conventions of the goddess, but were capable of rising above Mrs Grundy and her claims, if need be. With the fin de siècle erosion of the Victorian moral consensus, Mrs Grundy began to lose her power, and by the 1920s she was already little more than a faded laughing-stock, being mocked for example in the advice book for teens, ''Mrs Grundy is Dead'' (New York: Century, 1930). A later appearance as the whitehaired schoolteacher in
Archie comics Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York.onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Such a word itself is also called an onomatopoeia. Common onomatopoeias include animal noises such as ''oink'', ''m ...
, the name ‘Grundy’ nevertheless has sound associations with underlying mental dissatisfaction as evidenced linguistically in words such as ‘grumble’, ‘mumble’, ‘grunt’, and ‘gruntled’. ''
Roget's Thesaurus ''Roget's Thesaurus'' is a widely used English-language thesaurus, created in 1805 by Peter Mark Roget (1779–1869), British physician, natural theologian and lexicographer. History It was released to the public on 29 April 1852. Roget was i ...
'' places Grundyism under
prude A prude (Old French ''prude'' meaning honourable woman) is a person who is described as (or would describe themselves as) being concerned with decorum or propriety, significantly in excess of normal prevailing standards. They may be perceived as ...
ry, linked most closely to
euphemism A euphemism () is an innocuous word or expression used in place of one that is deemed offensive or suggests something unpleasant. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the user wishes ...
.


Examples

*
C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...
's character Mark Studdock in ''
That Hideous Strength ''That Hideous Strength: A Modern Fairy-Tale for Grown-Ups'' is a 1945 novel by C. S. Lewis, the final book in Lewis's theological science fiction Space Trilogy. The events of this novel follow those of '' Out of the Silent Planet'' and '' Pere ...
'' refers to her in a ghost-written article for an unnamed British periodical (which is intended to promote the interests of a group of Satanists). "''If you hear anyone talking about the liberties of England (by which he means the liberties of the obscurantists, the Mrs. Grundies, the bishops, and the capitalists), watch that man. He's the enemy.''" * Aldous Huxley refers to her in the essay "To the puritan all things are impure" in his book '' Music at Night''. *
Walter de la Mare Walter John de la Mare (; 25 April 1873 – 22 June 1956) was an English poet, short story writer, and novelist. He is probably best remembered for his works for children, for his poem "The Listeners", and for a highly acclaimed selection of ...
described her in his poem of that name: “High-coifed, broad-browed, aged, suave but grim, A large flat face, eyes keenly dim, staring at nothing...on each of those chairs has gloated in righteousness”. *
Aimée Crocker Aimée Isabella Crocker (December 5, 1864 – February 7, 1941) was an American princess, mystic, Bohemian, and author. She was known for her cultural exploration of the Far East, for her extravagant parties in San Francisco, New York and Paris, ...
refers to her throughout her biography ''
And I'd Do It Again or AND may refer to: Logic, grammar, and computing * Conjunction (grammar), connecting two words, phrases, or clauses * Logical conjunction in mathematical logic, notated as "∧", "⋅", "&", or simple juxtaposition * Bitwise AND, a boolea ...
''. *
P. T. Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (; July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871–2017) with James Anthony Bailey. He was ...
refers to her in the preface of his non-fiction booklet ''
Art of Money Getting Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of what ...
'' (1880). *
Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...
in a letter to the ''
St. James Gazette The ''St James's Gazette'' was a London evening newspaper published from 1880 to 1905. It was founded by the Conservative Hucks Gibbs, 1st Baron Aldenham, Henry Hucks Gibbs, later Baron Aldenham, a director of the Bank of England 1853–1901 and ...
'' describes her as "...Mrs Grundy, that amusing old lady who represents the only original form of humour that the middle classes of this country have been able to produce." (1890). *
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
mentions her in his novel '' Hard Times''. * William Makepeace Thackeray mentions her in his novel '' Vanity Fair''. * William Gilbert refers to her in the patter song "At the outset I may mention it's my sovereign intention" from the second act of ''
The Grand Duke ''The Grand Duke; or, The Statutory Duel'', is the final Savoy Opera written by librettist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan, their fourteenth and last opera together. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 March 1896, and ran for 12 ...
'', and in the (cut) song "Though men of rank may useless seem" for the Duke in ''
Patience (opera) ''Patience; or, Bunthorne's Bride'', is a comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera is a satire on the aesthetic movement of the 1870s and '80s in England and, more broadly, on fads, superfic ...
''. *
George Gissing George Robert Gissing (; 22 November 1857 – 28 December 1903) was an English novelist, who published 23 novels between 1880 and 1903. His best-known works have reappeared in modern editions. They include ''The Nether World'' (1889), ''New Grub ...
wrote a novel which was never published and is now lost called 'Mrs Grundy's Enemies'. *
G. K. Chesterton Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was an English writer, philosopher, Christian apologist, and literary and art critic. He has been referred to as the "prince of paradox". Of his writing style, ''Time'' observed: "Wh ...
mentions her in chapter III of ''
Orthodoxy Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churc ...
''. *
G. K. Chesterton Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was an English writer, philosopher, Christian apologist, and literary and art critic. He has been referred to as the "prince of paradox". Of his writing style, ''Time'' observed: "Wh ...
titled a chapter "The Humility of Mrs Grundy" in his book ''What's Wrong With the World''. *
Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequel ...
often refers to "Mrs Grundy" in his personal letters as the characterization of those who may disapprove of his friendships with children. *
James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...
refers to her in the "Eumaeus" chapter of ''
Ulysses Ulysses is one form of the Roman name for Odysseus, a hero in ancient Greek literature. Ulysses may also refer to: People * Ulysses (given name), including a list of people with this name Places in the United States * Ulysses, Kansas * Ulysse ...
''. Gifford's ''Ulysses Annotated'' characterizes her as "the ultimate arbiter of stuffy middle-class propriety." * Robert A. Heinlein also mentions her, for example, in his novels '' The Number of the Beast'', ''
To Sail Beyond the Sunset ''To Sail Beyond the Sunset'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein, published in 1987. It was the last novel published before his death in 1988. The title is taken from the poem "Ulysses", by Alfred Tennyson. The stanz ...
'', '' Stranger in a Strange Land'', and in the second intermission of ''
Time Enough for Love ''Time Enough for Love'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein, first published in 1973. The work was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1973 and both the Hugo and Locus Awards in 1974. Plot The book cov ...
''. "Freedom begins when you tell Mrs. Grundy to go fly a kite." *
Philip José Farmer Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009) was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories. Obituary. Farmer is best known for his sequences of novels, especially the ''World of Tiers ...
's characters in the Riverworld series also refer to Mrs Grundy as prudishness incarnate in a negative way. *
Peter Fryer Peter Fryer (18 February 1927 – 31 October 2006)
''Spartacus Educational''.
was an English ...
's book ''Mrs Grundy: Studies in English Prudery'' concerns
prudish A prude (Old French ''prude'' meaning honourable woman) is a person who is described as (or would describe themselves as) being concerned with decorum or propriety, significantly in excess of normal prevailing standards. They may be perceived as ...
behaviour, such as the use of
euphemism A euphemism () is an innocuous word or expression used in place of one that is deemed offensive or suggests something unpleasant. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the user wishes ...
s for
underwear Undergarments, underclothing, or underwear are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer garments from being soiled o ...
. *
Jack London John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to ...
uses Mrs Grundy in his books ''
The People of the Abyss ''The People of the Abyss'' (1903) is a book by Jack London, containing his first-hand account of several weeks spent living in the Whitechapel district of the East End of London in 1902. London attempted to understand the working-class of this ...
'' and ''
The Sea-Wolf Seawolf, Sea wolf or Sea Wolves may refer to: Animals * Sea wolf, a wolf subspecies found in the Vancouver coastal islands * Seawolf (fish), a marine fish also known as wolffish or sea wolf * A nickname of the killer whale * South American sea ...
''. In the former he describes the early twentieth century attitude of the English working class towards drunkenness: "Mrs Grundy rules as supremely over the workers as she does over the bourgeoisie; but in the case of the workers, the one thing she does not frown upon is the public house ... Mrs Grundy drew the line at spirits." In ''
The Sea-Wolf Seawolf, Sea wolf or Sea Wolves may refer to: Animals * Sea wolf, a wolf subspecies found in the Vancouver coastal islands * Seawolf (fish), a marine fish also known as wolffish or sea wolf * A nickname of the killer whale * South American sea ...
'', on the 1st page of chapter 10, the protagonist says of his race that it's, "...sober-minded, clean-lived, and fanatically moral and which in this latter connection has culminated among the English in the Reformed Church and Mrs. Grundy". *
Mohandas Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
refers to Mrs. Grundy as an insuitable reason to end his *brahmacharya* experiment. *
Louisa May Alcott Louisa May Alcott (; November 29, 1832March 6, 1888) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known as the author of the novel ''Little Women'' (1868) and its sequels ''Little Men'' (1871) and ''Jo's Boys'' (1886). Raised in ...
alludes to Mrs Grundy in her book ''
Little Women ''Little Women'' is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888). Alcott wrote the book, originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869, at the request of her publisher. The story follows the lives ...
'' when speaking of the changes Laurie undergoes as a result of Amy's admonitions to him (1868). *
Martin Seymour-Smith Martin Roger Seymour-Smith (24 April 1928 – 1 July 1998) was a British poet, literary critic, and biographer. Biography Seymour-Smith was born in London and educated at Highgate School and St Edmund Hall, Oxford, where he was editor of ''Isi ...
refers to Mrs Grundy throughout his biography of
Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Word ...
, noting the writer’s struggles with what he called “an unexpected Grundian cloud… ‘excessive prudery’”. *
Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Word ...
disparages the "Grundyist" in his essay " Candour in English Fiction" (1890). * Walter Lippmann dismisses the "exploded pretensions of Mr and Mrs Grundy" in his '' A Preface to Politics'' (1913). * On the television show '' Absolutely Fabulous'', the prudish Saffron is called a Mrs Grundy by Patsy, a hedonist. * A long-time character in
Archie Comics Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York.Miss Grundy. When first introduced, she fit the Mrs Grundy archetype well, being judgmental and old-fashioned. However, the character has been softened considerably over the years, and her current incarnation is not particularly Grundyesque. *
P G Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeeve ...
's lyrics to the song "Till the Clouds Roll By" from the musical '' Oh Boy!'' contain the line "What would Missus Grundy say?" in Verse 1. *
H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells"Wells, H. G."
Revised 18 May 2015. ''
Tono-Bungay'', during a long dialogue about the Grundys says, "There's no Mrs Grundy." (book 1 chapter 4, section iii) * Vladimir Nabokov refers to Mrs Grundy in his novel ''
The Real Life of Sebastian Knight ''The Real Life of Sebastian Knight'' is the first English language novel by Vladimir Nabokov, written from late 1938 to early 1939 in Paris and first published in 1941. A work centred on language and its inability to convey any satisfactory def ...
'' (1941). *
Dossie Easton Dorothy "Dossie" Easton (born February 26, 1944), who has also written under the name Scarlet Woman, is an American author and family therapist based in San Francisco, California. She is polyamorous and lives in West Marin, California. Backgro ...
and
Janet Hardy Janet W. Hardy is an American writer and sex educator, and founder of Greenery Press. She has also been published as ''Catherine A. Liszt'' and ''Lady Green''. She is the author or co-author of eleven books, and frequently collaborates with Doss ...
refer to "Mrs Grundy" in Chapter 12 of ''
The Ethical Slut ''The Ethical Slut: A Guide to Infinite Sexual Possibilities'' is an English language non-fiction book by Dossie Easton and Janet Hardy (given as pseudonym Catherine A. Liszt for the book's first edition in 1997). Content The authors define th ...
'' (2nd Edition, 2009). * Harry Turtledove refer to "Mrs Grundy" in Chapter 3 of '' Colonization: Down to Earth''. * E. M. Forster - The Clever Lady says "If it is Mrs Grundy who is troubling you..." in Chapter 2 of
A Room with a View ''A Room with a View'' is a 1908 novel by English writer E. M. Forster, about a young woman in the restrained culture of Edwardian era England. Set in Italy and England, the story is both a romance and a humorous critique of English society a ...
, and "Grundyism" generally in '' Two Cheers for Democracy''. * Patrick O'Brian in "
Treason's Harbour ''Treason's Harbour'' is the ninth historical novel in the Aubrey-Maturin series by British author Patrick O'Brian, first published in 1983. The story is set during the Napoleonic Wars. While with Captain Jack Aubrey awaiting repairs on his s ...
" describes Jack Aubrey's wife as "...completely different. She was not a prude, and she cared no more for Mrs Grundy than Diana..." *
Vesta Tilley Matilda Alice Powles, Lady de Frece (13May 186416September 1952) was an English music hall performer. She adopted the stage name Vesta Tilley and became one of the best-known male impersonators of her era. Her career lasted from 1869 until 192 ...
's song 'Bazaar Maids' refers to all the pretty, witty girls being 'under Mother Grundy's laws'


See also


References


External links


Text of ''Speed the Plough''
*Australia Trove - Digitalised newspapers and more http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article34403421 {{DEFAULTSORT:Grundy, Mrs Characters in plays Theatre characters introduced in 1798 Female characters in theatre Comedy theatre characters Unseen characters Personifications Fictional British people