This dissertation examines the images and reality of fatherhood, between 1870 and 1914, using a case study of Montreal's middle class, and specifically the English speaking, Protestant community. An examination of reform literature, custody decisions, and fiction suggest that providing for his family's material needs was a father's first duty. Fatherhood was also invested with authority and power. Yet, the sentimental family ideal entrusted the mother with the emotional elements of child-rearing. Many fathers appear to have created nurturing relationships with their children, despite the emotionally restrictive social images, and society's emphasis on the importance of motherhood.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.39271 |
| Date | January 1991 |
| Creators | Fish, Cynthia S. |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of History.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001254850, proquestno: NN72159, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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