Life, 1911-11-30 · page 23 of 40
Life — November 30, 1911 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece mocks courting conventions among the upper classes. The cartoon shows a young man being urged—by his mother and a trained nurse—to propose to a woman during her convalescence (recovery from illness). The satire targets two social absurdities: First, the expectation that a man should propose to a nurse as repayment for her professional care—treating her trained service as a debt requiring marriage. Second, the artificiality of courtship rituals where vulnerable moments (illness) were exploited as opportunities for romantic advancement. The accompanying caption, "The Bounds of Modesty," suggests irony: the scenario represents a breach of proper restraint. A woman recovering is in no position to refuse, making the proposal inherently manipulative despite claims of propriety. The book reviews below provide context for the page's literary focus on examining romantic and social relationships of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
TO CONVALESCENTS vox’t TH FAIL TO PROPOSE TO THE S SHE IS TRAINED To. woman in the fortics, who thinks she is “laying bare the feminine soul.” The Fruitful Vine, by Robert Hichens. See preceding page. Hilda Lessways, by Arnold Bennett. A, novel in which the attractive but’ enigmatic heroine of “Clayhanger” is X-rayed by Mr. Bennett, thus ceasing to be an enigma, but preserving her attractiveness. The Iron Woman, by Margaret Deland. An_ excellent story of contemporary American life recommended for gen- eral reading irrespective of age, sex, or previous condition of artistic servitude. Jean-Christophe in Paris, by Romain Roland. The fifth, sixth and seventh books of’ this modern French epic. The literary, musical and bourgeois life of Paris stripped, tied to the cart tail and flogged. Kennedy Square, by F. Hopkinson Smith, with the edge off and romance with the bloom on. memory tale of fifty years ago. The Life Everlasting, by Marie Corelli. An emotional mix-up between transmigrated souls that have been carrying on a progressive love alfair through successive incarnations. Love's Coming of Age, by Edward Carpenter. The first American edition of a fifteen-year-old English book contain: ing a remarkable series of papers on the relations of the sexes. My Life, by Richard Wagner, A realistic record of ac- tivities and ‘impressions, meannesses and makeshifts Misfortune A happy You OWE TRAINED NURSE, IT TO HER, J IT IS ONE OF THE ND SHE EXPECTS IT Researches on the Evolution of the Stellar Systems, by T. J. J. See. The mathematical basis and scientific arguments Supporting a new theory of the origin of nebulx and their development into stars. The Truth About an Author, by Arnold Bennett. An imp- ish and entertaining piece of ‘autobiographical frankness in which all the conventional hypocrisies of silence are out- raged for our benefit. Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton. face and what lay back of it. The story of a tragic THE BOUNDS OF MODESTY comicbooks.com