'I think many readers unconsciously expect a certain type of governess heroine - smart, correct, acutely aware of her place in the house - even though they might not know it themselves.' ' Jane Eyre is probably my favorite book ever, and so I probably am unable to recognize how much her story influenced mine,' she said. Megan Frampton's recent The Duke's Guide to Correct Behavior also featured a governess.

In some ways, she serves as Emma's conscience, cautiously suggesting better behavior and warning when Emma is about to overstep her boundaries.' I admire female characters who display solid common sense, and Miss Taylor does just that. I also loved Miss Taylor in Jane Austen's Emma. I loved that combination and strove to give it to Anna Thraxton in my book An Affair to Remember. 'She was calm and good-humored, and yet elegant.

'I loved Miss Ancilla Trent in Georgette Heyer's The Nonesuch,' Karen Hawkins says. Among other things, I was curious how much those famous literary governesses influenced them. I spoke with some authors who have written these books. There have been other, lighter examples, such as Mary Poppins, or those in novels by Georgette Heyer.Īlthough I have never written a governess heroine, I love to read books that feature them. The governess heroine has played a role in iconic works of fiction such as Jane Eyre and The Turn of the Screw. Governesses are favorite characters for readers and have been since the 19th century.

Miss Tibbles' Folly by April Kihlstrom