I was surprised that we were reading this book in American Lit. This book consists of mostly British and French people. The main part of this book takes place in Britain. Charlotte was brought up in british culture and the beliefs of the time about eloping and how shameful it is. They show Charlotte being courted by Montraville, and then transfers over to a flash back of how her dad courted her mom. After Charlotte leaves, her parents become the focus for a chapter and describe how a good british child should behave and how they are shocked that Charlotte eloped. Again, all of this has taken place in England. British culture is prevalent. This takes up over half the book.
Then the book goes back to charlotte who is on a boat now on her way to america. However, the British culture is still prevalent on the boat. However, the French woman, La Rue, starts to waver the British culture slightly. Charlotte however, is stuck in the British culture, which keeps the book stuck in british culture.
When Charlotte arrives in America she is kept alone in a house in the country. This stops the book from really showing any american culture.
This is why I did not get any american feeling out of this novel!
I can see your point on why you didn't see the "Americanisms" in the novel. I personally thought there were some, but you're right, much of the novel was grounded with the French and British characters. However, these cultures did play a role in the founding of America, so in a way, they were still depicting American culture.
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