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Mr. T. Selby
Major Peter Sanford’s wife and, for a short time, Eliza Wharton’s friend. Nancy comes from a wealthy Southern family, and Sanford marries her for her money so he can retain his class status. Sanford has squandered his own wealth, and marrying a rich woman is, in his opinion, the only solution. However, Sanford treats Nancy and their marriage with indifference and doesn’t bother to hide his feelings for Eliza. Nancy befriends Eliza at the behest of her husband—Sanford’s plan to keep Eliza close—and her marriage is generally unhappy. Sanford openly admits that he does not love Nancy and he speaks of her with contempt. She gives birth to his son, but the baby dies soon after birth. Once Eliza also becomes pregnant with Sanford’s baby, Nancy divorces Sanford and takes her money with her, leaving him destitute. Nancy and her marriage to Sanford serve as a cautionary tale for those who marry for the sake of money and social class.
Mrs. Nancy Sanford Quotes in The Coquette
The The Coquette quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Nancy Sanford or refer to Mrs. Nancy Sanford. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Letter 70
Quotes
[Eliza] is exceedingly depressed; and says she neither expects nor wishes to survive her lying in. Insanity, for aught I know, must be my lot, if she should die. But I will not harbor the idea. I hope, one time or other, to have the power to make her amends, even by marriage. My wife may be provoked, I imagine, to sue for a divorce. If she should, she would find no difficulty in obtaining it; and then I would take Eliza in her stead. Though I confess that the idea of being thus connected with a woman whom I have been able to dishonor would be rather hard to surmount. It would hurt even my delicacy, little as you may think me to possess, to have a wife whom I know to be seducible. And, on this account, I cannot be positive that even Eliza would retain my love.
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Mrs. Nancy Sanford Quotes in The Coquette
The The Coquette quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Nancy Sanford or refer to Mrs. Nancy Sanford. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Letter 70
Quotes
[Eliza] is exceedingly depressed; and says she neither expects nor wishes to survive her lying in. Insanity, for aught I know, must be my lot, if she should die. But I will not harbor the idea. I hope, one time or other, to have the power to make her amends, even by marriage. My wife may be provoked, I imagine, to sue for a divorce. If she should, she would find no difficulty in obtaining it; and then I would take Eliza in her stead. Though I confess that the idea of being thus connected with a woman whom I have been able to dishonor would be rather hard to surmount. It would hurt even my delicacy, little as you may think me to possess, to have a wife whom I know to be seducible. And, on this account, I cannot be positive that even Eliza would retain my love.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
