Sons and parents

[Linda Anderson]

According to Patricia Carley Johnson, Fanny tried attending boarding schools but she dropped "out of one school after another. Constantly concerned by their daughter's ill-health, her parents did not force the issue. Thus, the brunt of Fanny's education fell squarely on Mrs. Seward."

Fanny had dancing lessons, riding lessons, "and a succession of French, painting, singing and piano teachers."

"As the years passed and the girl's interest in literature grew rather than diminished, Frances assumed the role of guide and critic...
"Together she and Fanny read and analyzed much of the world's literature from Shakespeare through Tennyson to Fanny's own special favorite, the American novelist, Theodore Winthrop.
"When Fanny decided to take up writing, she received nothing but encouragement from her mother."

I hope Fanny's biographer, Trudy Krisher, will see this thread so she can give you a more detailed answer, Eva, but I think Fanny was encouraged to have opinions and to express them, at least in the family circle.