Hitchcock

Overview

Hitchcock (first name unknown) was Marie Bashkirtseff's English conversation teacher in Nice during 1873. She is mentioned in Marie's September 15, 1873 diary entry as providing conversation lessons that Marie considered "more useful than all other things."

Mentions in the Diary

Marie mentions Hitchcock in her September 15, 1873 diary entry:

"Mais j'eus une leçon de conver­sation avec la Hitchcock, c'est plus utile que toutes [les] autres choses."

> (But I had a conversation lesson with Hitchcock, it's more useful than all other things.)

The use of the feminine article "la" before Hitchcock indicates that the teacher was a woman. Marie's comment about the usefulness of these conversation lessons suggests she valued practical language skills over more formal or theoretical language instruction.

Historical Context

In the 1870s, English was becoming increasingly important as an international language, particularly in diplomatic and aristocratic circles. For a young woman of Marie's social class and ambitions, fluency in English would have been a valuable skill.

Language instruction in this period often emphasized grammar, translation, and reading comprehension over conversational ability. Marie's appreciation for conversation lessons with Hitchcock suggests she recognized the practical importance of being able to speak English fluently, not just read or write it.

Foreign language teachers for wealthy families in Nice during this period often came from the community of English and American expatriates who had settled in the French Riviera for health or leisure reasons. Hitchcock may have been a native English speaker who had settled in Nice and supplemented her income by teaching English to wealthy young women like Marie.

Educational Approach

The fact that Marie specifically mentions "conversation lessons" suggests that Hitchcock's teaching approach was focused on practical speaking skills rather than formal grammar instruction. This would have involved dialogue practice, pronunciation correction, and possibly discussion of current events or literature to build vocabulary and fluency.

Marie's educational program was unusually comprehensive for a young woman of her time, including multiple languages (Russian, French, English, Italian, German, and Latin), as well as music, art, and sciences. Her English lessons with Hitchcock were part of this ambitious educational agenda.

%% 2025-04-05T21:45:00 RSR: Created entry based on mention in September 15, 1873 diary entry %%