Book description
Leaving the secluded home of her guardian for the first time, beautiful
Evelina Anville is captivated by her new surroundings in London's beau
monde - and in particular by the handsome, chivalrous Lord Orville. But
her enjoyment soon turns to mortification at the hands of her vulgar and
capricious grandmother, and the rakish Sir Clement Willoughby, who
torments the na ve young woman with his unwanted advances. And while her
aristocratic father refuses to acknowledge her legitimacy, Evelina can
hold no hope of happiness with the man she loves. Published anonymously
in 1778, Frances Burney's epistolary novel brought her instant fame when
the secret of its authorship was revealed. With its ingenious
combination of romance and satire, comedy and melodrama, Evelina is a
sparkling depiction of the dangers and delights of fashionable society.
Frances Burney (1752-1840) spent her youth in the midst of the London
society which included Dr Johnson, Edmund Burke, Sir Joshua Reynolds
and the Blue Stocking Circle, as well as members of the aristocracy.
She published Evelina anonymously in 1778 and the revelation of her
authorship brought her immediate fame. In 1793 she married General
d'Arblay, a French refugee in England. She and her husband were
interned by Napoleon and lived in France from 1802 to 1812.
Margaret Anne Doody is Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities
and Professor of English at Vanderbilt University.
