Why does Pushkin call the mother of young Tatiana in ‘Eugene Onegin’ an “old woman”?
“Larina is simple, but a very nice old woman,” the author writes about Praskovya Larina. But, the “old woman” was probably no more than 38 years old!
In the story, a young girl unrequitedly falls in love with a young man. The author does not specify her age exactly, but, in one line, the hero notes that she is 13 years old; the same age is mentioned by Tatiana's nanny. Pushkin himself, in his correspondence with poet Vyazemsky, notes that Tatiana is 17.
At the same time, the poet calls Tatiana's mother Praskovya an “old woman” several times in the text, although she was certainly not elderly by today's standards.
In the 19th century, marriages were concluded early, when the bride was 16-18 years old. It is known about her mother that her parents married her against her will to a man she did not love and Tatiana was her first child. Thus, Tatiana's mother was between 30 and 38. At that time, this age was indeed considered quite respectable.
In addition, many literary critics believe that she was an “old woman” not because of her age, but because of her status: Before marriage she was dressed in the fashion of her years, but, in marriage, she became a provincial landowner. And, although she had outfits for going out in public, at home, she wore a simple robe and a bonnet.
