Responses to Charlotte Temple

Response 1 to Charlotte Temple

When Charlotte Temple was republished in America, the author chose to add the subtitle “A Tale of Truth” to help sell the book to church-going readers. The reason behind this move was that America, in the late 17th century, possessed a strong Puritan cultural influence that was not present in the English audience. These were the people who valued hard work and tried to ban Christmas celebrations and music in public in England. Reading a novel would certainly be a distraction from the workday and religious duties. However, angling the book more as a cautionary tale against Charlotte's choices endeared to the cultural patriarchs who no doubt failed to notice that part of its massive appeal among its female readership was the salacious back story with Mademoiselle La Rue.

Response 2 to Charlotte Temple

In Charlotte Temple, the author very nearly sums the moral of the story in the quote, “the mind of youth eagerly catches at promised pleasure: pure and innocent by nature, it thinks not of the dangers lurking beneath those pleasures, till too late to avoid them” (24; Ch 4). As a cautionary tale against youthful impetuousness, Rowson follows Charlotte as she is blinded by passion and falls into misfortune when her lover abandons her. From there, Charlotte bears her lover's child and the man charged with providing her with an allowance embezzles the funds and leaves her destitute. Individuals in their teens and twenties possess the abilities to decide their fates, but also lack the experience to think through the consequences of their actions fully.