Born in 1866, Potter grew up in London during the last decades of the nineteenth century, an era usually referred to as the Victorian period. In many ways her life, confined as it was, is but a reflection of this period's oppressive treatment of children and women. Her mother, for example, consistently refused to allow Beatrix to visit friends, for fear that these visits would upset Beatrix and make her ill. Nor would her mother allow young people to visit Beatrix at home because they might bring germs into the house. There is no evidence that Beatrix was a sickly child, and these extreme attitudes were symptomatic of a social culture that considered such protectiveness of the "weak" female health not only proper but a sign of parental love.

Overall, the obedience demanded of Beatrix and the discipline and routines that were imposed should be viewed as part of...