The Coquette

The Coquette

by

Hannah Webster Foster

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Mrs. Laurence Character Analysis

The wife of Mr. Laurence and mother to Miss Laurence. Mrs. Laurence is a wealthy woman of high social standing, and she frequently visit the General and Mrs. Richman with her family. Mrs. Laurence supports patriarchal ideals of womanhood and believes that discussions about politics and issues of the nation are best left to men.

Mrs. Laurence Quotes in The Coquette

The The Coquette quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Laurence or refer to Mrs. Laurence. 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:
Women and Society Theme Icon
).
Letter 23 Quotes

Miss Wharton and I, said Mrs. Richman, must beg leave to differ from you, madam. We think ourselves interested in the welfare and prosperity of our country; and, consequently, claim the right of inquiring into those affairs, which may conduce to, or interfere with the common weal. We shall not be called to the senate or the field to assert its privileges, and defend its rights, but we shall feel for the honor and safety of our friends and connections, who are thus employed. If the community flourish and enjoy health and freedom, shall we not share in the happy effects? if it be oppressed and disturbed, shall we not endure our proportion of the evil? Why then should the love of our country be a masculine passion only? Why should government, which involves the peace and order of the society, of which we are a part, be wholly excluded from our observation? Mrs. Laurence made some slight reply and waived the subject. The gentlemen applauded Mrs. Richman’s sentiments as truly Roman; and what was more, they said, truly republican.

Related Characters: Mr. T. Selby (speaker), Miss Eliza Wharton, Reverend J. Boyer, Mrs. Richman, Mrs. Laurence
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 34-5
Explanation and Analysis:
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Mrs. Laurence Quotes in The Coquette

The The Coquette quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Laurence or refer to Mrs. Laurence. 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:
Women and Society Theme Icon
).
Letter 23 Quotes

Miss Wharton and I, said Mrs. Richman, must beg leave to differ from you, madam. We think ourselves interested in the welfare and prosperity of our country; and, consequently, claim the right of inquiring into those affairs, which may conduce to, or interfere with the common weal. We shall not be called to the senate or the field to assert its privileges, and defend its rights, but we shall feel for the honor and safety of our friends and connections, who are thus employed. If the community flourish and enjoy health and freedom, shall we not share in the happy effects? if it be oppressed and disturbed, shall we not endure our proportion of the evil? Why then should the love of our country be a masculine passion only? Why should government, which involves the peace and order of the society, of which we are a part, be wholly excluded from our observation? Mrs. Laurence made some slight reply and waived the subject. The gentlemen applauded Mrs. Richman’s sentiments as truly Roman; and what was more, they said, truly republican.

Related Characters: Mr. T. Selby (speaker), Miss Eliza Wharton, Reverend J. Boyer, Mrs. Richman, Mrs. Laurence
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 34-5
Explanation and Analysis: