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Miss Laurence
Mrs. Richman’s husband and Eliza Wharton’s friend. General Richman is the personification of wealth and high social standing, and his name confirms that he is indeed a rich man. The General’s marriage to Mrs. Richman is happy and successful, and it is the golden standard Eliza is expected to follow.
General Richman Quotes in The Coquette
The The Coquette quotes below are all either spoken by General Richman or refer to General Richman. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Letter 9 Quotes
My friends were waiting for me in the parlor. They received me sociably, inquired after my health, my last evening’s entertainment, the company, &c. When, after a little pause, Mrs. Richman said, and how do you like Major Sanford, Eliza? Very well indeed, madam: I think him a finished gentleman. Will you, who are a connoisseur, allow him that title? No, my dear: in my opinion, he falls far below it; since he is deficient in one of the great essentials of the character, and that is, virtue. I am surprised, said I: but how has he incurred so severe a censure? By being a professed libertine; by having but too successfully practiced the arts of seduction; by triumphing in the destruction of innocence and the peace of families!
Related Characters:
Miss Eliza Wharton (speaker), Miss Lucy Freeman/Mrs. Lucy Sumner, Mrs. Richman, General Richman, Major Peter Sanford
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
14
Explanation and Analysis:
This quote appears in one of Eliza’s letters to Lucy, and it establishes Major Peter Sanford as a womanizer. The letter outlines a conversation Eliza had with Mrs. Richman after returning home late from a date with Sanford, and it emphasizes Mrs. Richman’s distrust (and outright disgust) of men like Sanford. This quote also underscores Mrs. Richman’s self-righteousness. She knows that Eliza is fond of Major Sanford and she has been eagerly waiting for an opportunity to tell Eliza that he is lacking in character and virtue. Eliza finds Sanford “a finished gentleman,” meaning he has been perfectly polite and appropriate in his actions toward her, which is enough to earn him Eliza’s regard and esteem. Eliza knows nothing of Sanford’s debauched past and therefore sees no reason to keep him at arm’s length.
Mrs. Richman’s opinion of Sanford also reflects early American society’s understanding that one’s virtue is intimately linked to their chastity. As Sanford is not yet married, his sexual exploits dictate that he is without virtue and utterly immoral. He is also a “professed libertine,” which suggests Sanford rejects matters of organized religion and embraces sex, and this language also directly links sexual behavior to righteousness and morality. Mrs. Richman’s opinion of Sanford is meant to warn Eliza away from his company, which is sure, by association, to contaminate Eliza’s virtue as well.
Get the entire The Coquette LitChart as a printable PDF.
General Richman Quotes in The Coquette
The The Coquette quotes below are all either spoken by General Richman or refer to General Richman. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Letter 9 Quotes
My friends were waiting for me in the parlor. They received me sociably, inquired after my health, my last evening’s entertainment, the company, &c. When, after a little pause, Mrs. Richman said, and how do you like Major Sanford, Eliza? Very well indeed, madam: I think him a finished gentleman. Will you, who are a connoisseur, allow him that title? No, my dear: in my opinion, he falls far below it; since he is deficient in one of the great essentials of the character, and that is, virtue. I am surprised, said I: but how has he incurred so severe a censure? By being a professed libertine; by having but too successfully practiced the arts of seduction; by triumphing in the destruction of innocence and the peace of families!
Related Characters:
Miss Eliza Wharton (speaker), Miss Lucy Freeman/Mrs. Lucy Sumner, Mrs. Richman, General Richman, Major Peter Sanford
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
14
Explanation and Analysis:
This quote appears in one of Eliza’s letters to Lucy, and it establishes Major Peter Sanford as a womanizer. The letter outlines a conversation Eliza had with Mrs. Richman after returning home late from a date with Sanford, and it emphasizes Mrs. Richman’s distrust (and outright disgust) of men like Sanford. This quote also underscores Mrs. Richman’s self-righteousness. She knows that Eliza is fond of Major Sanford and she has been eagerly waiting for an opportunity to tell Eliza that he is lacking in character and virtue. Eliza finds Sanford “a finished gentleman,” meaning he has been perfectly polite and appropriate in his actions toward her, which is enough to earn him Eliza’s regard and esteem. Eliza knows nothing of Sanford’s debauched past and therefore sees no reason to keep him at arm’s length.
Mrs. Richman’s opinion of Sanford also reflects early American society’s understanding that one’s virtue is intimately linked to their chastity. As Sanford is not yet married, his sexual exploits dictate that he is without virtue and utterly immoral. He is also a “professed libertine,” which suggests Sanford rejects matters of organized religion and embraces sex, and this language also directly links sexual behavior to righteousness and morality. Mrs. Richman’s opinion of Sanford is meant to warn Eliza away from his company, which is sure, by association, to contaminate Eliza’s virtue as well.
