The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless

Miss Betsy Thoughtless is a young, pretty woman of independant fortune who, though blessed with intelligence, has a great deal of personal vanity, and takes a delight in attracting as many suitors as possible. This book is refreshing for it's time-Miss Betsy is not alone in wondering why so many women want to be married when you are much more in control of yourself when single-and believable in it's characters and plot. You cant help liking Miss Betsy, and wishing her well. Good read!

This book is troubling for me, but also very very compelling. Betsy Thoughtless comes from a tradition of naming characters for their personality, hence names like Sir Trusty, Sir Loveit, Mr. Goodman, Mr. Trueworth, etc. This kind of thing normally bothers me, but it really didn't this time. (As a sidenote, i think that's only a bothersome practice when used by authors that are not good at their trade, like William Hill Brown, and perfectly acceptable in the works of intelligent ones, like here or in Samuel Johnson.) What troubled me more was the repetition of character in Betsy -- it was very hard to sympathize with a woman who, though good at heart and the picture of moral perfection (as long as you keep her away from men), persisted in her thoughlessness for 500 pages and several lessons before even beginning to rethink her behavior. It might have been better if Haywood had cut out one or two of those attempts on Betsy's innocence and gone sooner for the maturation of the heroine, which is the main point of the novel.Now, don't get me wrong, I think this is a very good book, and a necessity for students of the 18th century, or of literature at all. Looking back, how many books from the 18th and 19th centuries can you say followed a woman into a marriage? Betsy's union with Mr. Munden is depressing and enlightening. Once we see Betsy in the position of Wife, it's much easier to see why she would resist the institution with such vigor, though not why she had to play her suitors against one another. "[S]he could not quite assure herself, that a breach of [marriage] was to be justified by any provocations; nor whether the worst usage on the part of the husband could authorize resentment on that of a wife." Heavy words. And this is the kind of thinking that is rewarded at the end of the book. Women were truly their husbands' possessions, and nothing the man could do would justify even resentment from the wife. Makes a woman glad to be alive now...but anyway. The story is entertaining and educational, and Betsy endearing, even if she is frustrating at times. I only wish now that I could find a book from this era that followed a woman into a HAPPY marriage in some detail. I wish that Betsy Thoughtless had done that, or finished up the story line of the wicked Miss Flora and Lady Mellasin. When you pursue a story for 634 pages, cheering for the happiness of the heroine, 4 pages of happiness at the end of the novel isn't quite a satisfactory payoff, although it is reassuring to have Betsy finally thoughtful, happy, and of true worth. This novel is definitely worth the effort.

This book was simply wonderful. It would appeal to anyone who enjoys the novels of Jane Austen as this book is also very clever and delightful. A rather obscure novel but definitely worth reading. A classic that I'm glad I discovered.