Author: Isabella Beeton (March 12, 1836 – January 1865) started articles for her husband’s magazine when she was only 21 years old. She died when she was only 28. Her articles were later compiled as a book.
Context: Compiled in 1861, it was during the beginnings of the Second Industrial Revolution. Additionally, Women’s rights were continuing to advance.
Language: Beeton writes in relatively simple language in order to appeal to as many readers as possible.
Audience: Beeton is writing to as many mothers/ wives as possible, additionally, the readers of her husband’s magazine.
Intent: Beeton is giving household advice, recipes, and other womanly responsibilities during that time period such as “Housekeeper, Cook, Kitchen-Maid, Butler,Footman, Coachman, Valet, Upper and Under House-Maids, Lady’s-Maid, Maid-of-all-Work,Laundry-Maid, Nurse and Nurse-Maid, Monthly Wet and Sick Nurses”
Message: Beeton is simply informing mothers and wives of new and interesting techniques on their household duties, as well as new recipes to try in the home.
Additionally, Beeton was the oldest among her four half-sisters in her family. She had twenty-one siblings total, and as the eldest, she became proficient in babysitting and in comprehensive household management. Beeton’s domestic background gave her a basis when writing her book of household management.
Just as the person who commented before me stated, Beeton’s youth forced her to excel in all the areas she wrote about as she had twenty- one siblings in total. Perhaps one of the reasonings for her writing this is so that she could teach young women how to excel in something as well; and seeing as owning her role as a house maker led to her success, she made the assumption that all women at the time should achieve their worth in that way as well.