Our American Cousin · Character

Mrs. Mountchessington

A social-climbing mother who drills her daughters in flattery, reads up on America to snare a rich heir, and calls every vulgarism an elegant expression.

supporting

Also known as Mrs. Mountchessington, Mrs. Mountchessington Old Mark Trenchard, Mrs. Mountchessington Soft, Mrs. Mountchessington Hush, Mrs. Mountchestnut

First appearance: scene 1

As a supporting figure in Our American Cousin, Mrs. Mountchessington is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

See Mrs. Mountchessington in scene 1 Book page

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Mrs. Mountchessington steers her daughters through the Trenchard drawing room like a field commander, instructing Augusta to study Bancroft and Sam Slick before greeting the American visitor. She greets Asa's every blunt remark with smooth approval, even when he is openly mocking her, and dismisses his rudeness as some elegant American idiom. Her relentless matchmaking turns the household's social rituals into a contest of appetites, and her schemes give Asa's plain speaking something worth puncturing.

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The fuller portrait of Mrs. Mountchessington sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Mrs. Mountchessington in scene 1