What Maisie Knew Education Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

Yes, there were matters one couldn't "go into" with a pupil. (V.4)

Remember Lisette, Maisie's doll? Well, here she is again, acting as Maisie's pupil rather than her playmate or pretend daughter. Maisie is imitating her governesses and showing that she's already aware of adults' tendency to keep secrets from children. For better or worse, adults like Mrs. Beale, Sir Claude, and even Mrs. Wix will keep fewer and fewer secrets from young Maisie as the novel progresses.

Quote #5

Her reflexions indeed at this moment thickened apace, and one of them made her sure that her governess had conversations, private, earnest and not infrequent, with her denounced stepfather. She perceived in the light of a second episode that something beyond her knowledge had taken place in the house. (XI.4)

The vocab used in this quote—"reflexions," "perceived," "knowledge"—lets us know again that her messed-up family life is serving as her unofficial education. Maisie goes to the School of Familial Hard Knocks.

Quote #6

"Isn't he sympathetic?" asked Mrs. Wix, who had clearly, on the strength of his charming portrait, made up her mind that Sir Claude promised her a future. "You can see, I hope," she added with much expression, "that he's a perfect gentleman!" Maisie had never before heard the word "sympathetic" applied to anybody's face; she heard it with pleasure and from that moment it agreeably remained with her. (XI.20)

Check out Maisie learning new vocabulary. Instead of learning via flashcards what "osmosis" and "eloquent" mean, she learns from Mrs. Wix that "sympathetic" can be used to describe a person's physical appearance. Use it in a sentence, Maisie!