"The Purple Jar" is a well-known short story by

Maria Edgeworth Maria Edgeworth (1 January 1768 – 22 May 1849) was a prolific Anglo-Irish novelist of adults' and children's literature. She was one of the first realist writers in children's literature and was a significant figure in the evolution of the n ...

(1768-1849), an Anglo-Irish writer of novels and stories. "The Purple Jar" first was published in ''

The Parent's Assistant ''The Parent's Assistant'' is the first collection of children's stories by Maria Edgeworth, published by Joseph Johnson in 1796. Contents The first edition (Part I) had five stories: ''Lazy Lawrence'', ''Tarlton'', ''The Little Dog Trusty, ...

'' (1796) and reappeared in ''Rosamond'' (1801). Edgeworth's parable of desire and disappointment is now popularly read as the story of a girl getting her first period or

menstruation Menstruation (also known as a period, among other colloquial terms) is the regular discharge of blood and mucosal tissue from the inner lining of the uterus through the vagina. The menstrual cycle is characterized by the rise and fall of ...

in general."A Menstrual Lesson for Girls: Maria Edgeworth's 'The Purple Jar'"

Hollis Robbins Hollis Robbins (born 1963) is an American academic and essayist; Robbins currently serves as Dean of Humanities at University of Utah. Her scholarship focuses on African-American literature. Education and early career Robbins was born and raised ...

in ''Menstruation A Cultural History,'' edited by Andrew Shail and Gillian Howie, Palgrave Macmillan, 2005 The story is about a young girl, Rosamond, who needs new pair of shoes but is attracted to a purple jar which she sees displayed in a shop window. When her mother gives her the choice of spending her money on shoes or the jar, she chooses the purple jar. "You might be disappointed", her mother cautions, adding that Rosamund will not be able to buy new shoes until the next month. When the girl gets home, she discovers that the jar was not purple but clear and filled with a dark liquid. She cries: "I didn't want this black stuff!" Adding to her disappointment, her father refuses to take her out in public because she looks slovenly without good shoes. In the 21st century, scholars have also read this story as a parable of

consumer capitalism A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or uses purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. T ...

Cultural references

has shown, many contemporary women authors refer to "The Purple Jar."

Elizabeth Gaskell Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (''née'' Stevenson; 29 September 1810 – 12 November 1865), often referred to as Mrs Gaskell, was an English novelist, biographer and short story writer. Her novels offer a detailed portrait of the lives of many st ...

's '' Mary Barton'' (1849) alludes to Edgeworth's story. The character Rose Campbell in

Louisa May Alcott Louisa May Alcott (; November 29, 1832March 6, 1888) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known as the author of the novel ''Little Women'' (1868) and its sequels ''Little Men'' (1871) and '' Jo's Boys'' (1886). Raised in ...

's '' Eight Cousins'' (1875) refers to the story:

I always thought it very unfair in her mother not to warn the poor thing a little bit; and she was regularly mean when Rosamond asked for a bowl to put the purple stuff in, and she said, in such a provoking way, 'I did not agree to lend you a bowl, but I will, my dear.' Ugh! I always want to shake that hateful woman, though she was a moral mamma.

A character in

E. Nesbit Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English writer and poet, who published her books for children as E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 such books. She was also a political activist a ...

's 1913 novel ''Wet Magic'' alludes to the "icy voice" of Rosamond’s mother, "the one who was so hateful about the purple jar." "The Purple Jar" was read and commented on by Princess

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, the actress

Fanny Kemble Frances Anne "Fanny" Kemble (27 November 180915 January 1893) was a British actress from a theatre family in the early and mid-19th century. She was a well-known and popular writer and abolitionist, whose published works included plays, poetry ...

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

(who admired it), and

Eudora Welty Eudora Alice Welty (April 13, 1909 – July 23, 2001) was an American short story writer, novelist and photographer who wrote about the American South. Her novel '' The Optimist's Daughter'' won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973. Welty received numerou ...

(who did not). Miss Milliment in Elizabeth Jane Howard's ''The Light Years, ''volume 1 of The Cazalet Chronicles, thinks, "I am as bad as Rosamond in "The Purple Jar"" when she procrastinates over getting her shoes mended.

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)'' The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

referred to 'Three superb glass jars ... of the sort that led Rosamond to parting with her shoes' in his 1902 story

Wireless (short story) "Wireless" is a short story by Rudyard Kipling. It was first published in ''Scribner's Magazine'' in 1902, and was later collected in ''Traffics and Discoveries''. The sister-poem accompanying it, ''Butterflies'' or ''Kaspar's Song in Varda'', Ki ...

References

External links

Online version of "The Purple Jar"
Web Books *
Painting of ''Rosamund and The Purple Jar'' by Henry Tonks, 1900
Tate Gallery
Ursula Bethell's "By the River Ashley"
New Zealand Electronic Poetry Centre, poem refers to the short story {{DEFAULTSORT:Purple Jar, The 1796 short stories