McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson LXXXVIII · Part 9: Soldiers, birds, seeds and society
94. The Peevish Wife (Maria Edgeworth)
Goal: Your child reads a dialogue with expression and explains how Mrs. Bolingbroke's mood spoils a pleasant morning.
You'll need
- The book, open to this lesson
- A notebook or lined paper and a pencil
- Optional: a second reader to take a part
What's in the book
A comic dialogue by Maria Edgeworth between Mr. and Mrs. Bolingbroke. Out of sorts, Mrs. Bolingbroke finds fault with everything her husband says about the newspaper and their friends' marriages, takes his kind words as mockery, and ends by envying "happy Mrs. Granby."
The lesson, step by step
About the author
The book says Maria Edgeworth (b. 1767, d. 1849) was born in England, moved with her family to Edgeworthtown, Ireland, in 1782, and was educated by her father, with whom she wrote "The Parent's Assistant." It says she excels in the truthful picture of character and that her works are full of practical good sense and genuine humor.
Words and meanings
The words and meanings are printed at the end of the lesson. Read a few together before the reading, so they don't trip your child up:
Irony, language intended to convey a meaning contrary to its literal signification.
Derision, the act of laughing at in contempt.
Incompatible, that can not exist together.
Your child reads each meaning aloud, then uses the word in a sentence of their own.
Read it as a play
Take parts: one reads Mr. B., the other Mrs. B. Make her voice cross and his patient. It opens:
I wish I knew what was the matter with me this morning.
Why do you keep the newspaper all to yourself, my dear?
Talk about it
SayFind three times Mrs. Bolingbroke turns something kind into a complaint.
SayIs Mr. Bolingbroke being ironic, or is he sincere? How can you tell?
SayWhy does she say "Happy, happy Mrs. Granby!" at the end? Is she being fair?
Tell it back
Close the book.
SayTell me what happened at the breakfast table, and why it went wrong.
Older children can write their narration in a short paragraph instead. Don't correct while they talk; just listen.
Optional writing
Your child rewrites the first few lines of the dialogue with Mrs. Bolingbroke in a cheerful mood. How does the morning change?
Tip
Point out that Edgeworth never says "she was peevish." She lets us hear it. That is a good trick for your child's own stories.