In the many thick novels I read, I never noticed how many characters were caregivers, dispensing broth to Victorian invalids. But they were there, as they were bound to be in an era when most people died at home. As I entered more deeply into the world of being a so-called cancer spouse, I thought back to them. They were often depicted as little more than shadowy figures in the corner of a darkened sickroom. In fact, one highly gendered model for representation of caregiving dates to this period and trades on a major gender archetype of the era: the Angel in the House, silently bringing soup on a beautifully arranged tray to a delicate invalid and offering full, self-sacrificing support at all times.
Kate Washington, Already Toast: Caregiving and Burnout in America