Maiden Aunt: Difference between revisions
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They were especially thick on the ground in the US in the 1900-1930 period and in the Commonwealth in the 1950-1980 period - these were the women whose potential husbands died in the US Civil War and in [[World War I]], respectively. In the 1920s they were often known as "Victorian aunts", because they had grown up in (and for the most part never quite left) the Victorian era. Often also called "spinsters" and "[[Old Maid|old maids]]", although the latter term is usually discredited as offensive nowadays. If you were born in [[The Sixties]] you may remember how incredibly common they were, both in fiction and in [[Real Life]].
Of course, many real-life women remained unmarried for reasons other than the one stated above. Some were lesbians, some were asexual, some preferred a career to marriage, some gave up the chance of marriage to look after aging parents, and some simply didn't want the bother of a husband and family. In fiction, though, they tend to be prudish, sexless conservatives who have never worked for a living. Some are kindly and sweet, some are bitter and angry, some are in a [[Cloudcuckooland]]. Often played straight in mysteries and for laughs in comedies. There aren't many subversions out there - younger audiences are usually [[
A [[Sub-Trope|type]] of [[Old Maid]]. May be a [[Moral Guardian]] or a [[Nosy Neighbor]] (or both). Compare [[Little Old Lady Investigates]], and [[Christmas Cake]].
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* Aunt Abby and Aunt Martha Brewster in the play and movie ''[[Arsenic and Old Lace]]''. Their special cordial is [[Sympathetic Murderer|extremely special]].
* Juliana Tesman in ''[[Hedda Gabler]]''.
* ''[[The Nutcracker (theatre)|The Nutcracker]]'' features two
== [[Video Games]] ==
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