From a Girl's Point of View

Lilian Bell turns everyday conversation, courtship and manners into subjects for comic argument in these essays from 1897. The opening takes aim at the self-absorbed young man who talks endlessly but scarcely listens, treating consideration for others as a skill that has to be learned. Bell's dedication warns against taking everything literally, and her exaggerated age limits give the social observations a teasing, argumentative tone.

Her attention also falls on girls who mistake boldness for wit and good clothes for personal worth. Alongside these pointed portraits, she considers the value of an apology in family life, friendship and marriage. Chapters on clothing, husbands, tiresome acquaintances and the New Woman place private habits beside larger expectations about women's lives. Readers interested in changing ideas of adulthood and good manners can find here a period voice that makes social criticism through jokes, personal opinions and deliberately sweeping claims.