Paternal power: the pleasures and perils of “indulgent” fathering in Britain in the long eighteenth century

Historical and literary studies have identified shifts in paternal power in Britain from authoritative and patriarchal to benign and affectionate during the long eighteenth century. This article re-examines the power of fathers through the prism of paternal indulgence with insights gained from histories of masculinities. Historians have mostly commented upon the association between indulgence and mothering, drawing particular attention to contemporary pejorative accounts of such maternity. While indulgent mothers could be blamed for spoiling their children, this term is also very revealing of attitudes towards fathers' authority. Its analysis reveals that paternal power was not transformed in the long eighteenth century and was riven with tensions. As the primary bearers of authority in the family and household, men had to coordinate tenderness and appropriate levels and types of paternal discipline with notions of manhood. Too much of either severity or indulgence damaged their children's wellbeing and future, undermined the filial bond, and injured their masculine identity. Overall, an examination of indulgent fatherhood shows that acting with tenderness and power was a burden as well as a dividend for men.