Evelina: or The History of a Young Lady's Entrance into the World (Penguin Classics) - Softcover

Burney, Frances

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140433473 ISBN 13: 9780140433470

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 1994

Synopsis

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 naive 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.

About this title

From the Publisher:

The Broadview Literary Texts series is an effort to represent the ever-changing canon of literature in English by bringing together texts long regarded as classics with valuable, though lesser-known literature

From the Inside Flap:

A work by turns hilarious and grim, Evelina tells the story of a young woman's education in the ways of the world, vividly rendering life in eighteenth-century England. Raised by a pastor after her mother died and her father abandoned her, Evelina leaves the seclusion of the country for her first season out, encounters all manner of people–from prospective husbands to rakes to vulgar relatives–and endures all manner of trials before she achieves her final triumph.

"Before Evelina," W. D. Howells proclaimed, "the heart of girlhood had never been so fully opened in literature." Samuel Johnson called Burney "a real wonder" and Thomas Babington Macaulay wrote, "We owe to [Burney], not only Evelina, Cecilia, and Camilla, but also Mansfield Park and The Absentee."

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0140433473
• ISBN 13: 9780140433470
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 560