If I were a modern writing about a modern young woman I would have to do her wedding night in grisly detail. The custom of the country and the times would demand a description, preferable "comic," of foreplay, lubrication, penetration, and climax and in deference to the accepted opinions about Victorian love, I would have to abort the climax and end the wedding night in tears and desolate comfortings. But I don't know. I have a good deal of confidence in both Susan Burling and the man she married. I imagine they worked it out without the need of any scientific lubricity and with even less need to make their privacies public.
The author contemplates how modern literature would approach the wedding night of a contemporary young woman, suggesting that it would be essential to provide explicit and detailed descriptions of the intimate moments, adhering to current cultural expectations. He implies that rather than a romantic climax, the narrative would likely conclude on a somber note, reflective of Victorian societal norms concerning love and intimacy.
However, the author expresses confidence in the fictional characters, Susan Burling and her husband, believing they would navigate their relationship in a more personal and private manner. He suggests that their connection transcends the need for sensationalism or public scrutiny, emphasizing the value of intimacy devoid of societal demands for explicitness.
