Mischief, Gender, and Empire: Raising Imperial Bachelors and Spinsters in Catherine Sinclair's Holiday House

Much of the critical response to Catherine Sinclair's Holiday House (1839) obscures the differences between young siblings Harry and Laura Graham, as well as how adults respond differently to each child's mischief. A close reading of the text shows that although Harry and Laura frequently scheme and play together, gender influences their mischief, its dangers, and its consequences. Furthermore, the siblings' mischief and gender—as well as the adults' response to the children's mischief and gender—contribute to how each child is raised to fulfill a gender-appropriate role in Great Britain's imperial project.