Dazzlingfull of special delights. Harman excels in the vivid presentation of scenes, the selection of detail[a] marvellous and beautifully written book. Elspeth Barker, Independent on SundayAt the age of fifteen, Fanny Burney made a bonfire of all her works, with the sincere intention to extinguish for ever in their ashes her scribbling propensity. She was anxious that she might turn into an author, a fate incompatible for a woman with respectability.Her hope was in vain. Not only was she to write four novels (Evelina, Cecilia, Camilla and The Wanderer), all of which are still in print, she also kept a voluminous diary for the next seventy years and was a prolific letter-writer. Daughter of the eminent music historian Dr Charles Burney; friend of Sheridan, Garrick, Burke and Johnson; second keeper of the robes to George IIIs Queen Charlotte; wife to a refugee French aristocrat; detained for ten years in revolutionary France; horrified witness of the aftermath of Waterloo; victim of a mastectomy without anaestheticFanny Burneys life was as eventful as any novel.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Claire Harman, author of the prizewinning biography Sylvia Townsend Warner, turns her attention to another English novelist, this one an 18th-century pioneer. Fanny Burney (1752-1840) caused a sensation with the 1778 publication of her epistolary romance Evelina. Aptly subtitled The History of a Young Lady's Entrance into the World, the book offered England's burgeoning middle-class reading public a story that was both exciting and "decent," in contrast to the raucous tone of works by Henry Fielding and Tobias Smollet. Unlike her male predecessors, Burney knew how women thought and felt, and her novel's freshest moments honestly and amusingly show inexperienced Evelina making a fool of herself--though of course she's rewarded with a happy ending. (Unsurprisingly, young Jane Austen was a big fan.)
Burney herself, who didn't marry until she was 41, had a sharp eye for the vagaries of men other than her adored father, a noted music historian whose worshipful biography is her least interesting work. Harman offers a shrewd blend of social history and psychological analysis to explicate the complicated Burney family dynamic and its impact on Fanny. Her father was a self-made man who proudly joined the circle of rising middle-class merchants and intellectuals shaking up English culture, including Samuel Johnson and his patrons Henry and Hester Thrale. They would also be friends to Fanny, who had a much less sheltered upbringing than most 18th-century young ladies yet was always anxious to appear unshakably proper. To that end, she polished up the truth in her diaries and letters, and Harman's careful disentangling of fact from wishful thinking and manipulation in those documents is a model of the biographer's craft. Her smooth account of Burney's life captures a complex, conflicted woman and makes vivid for modern readers a key moment in the development of the novel. --Wendy Smith
"Harman's excellent biography of Fanny Burney is unlikely to be bettered for many years to come." --Kathryn Hughes, New Statesman
"We are priviledged to have this new and meticulous account of an extraordinary life. Harman's account is full of special delights. She excels in the vivid presentation of scenese, the selection of detail. A marvellous and beautifully written book." --Elspeth Barker, The Independent on Sunday
"An elegantly written biography . . . Harman recognizes Burney as a person of her times and not the feminist heroine that academic industry has often made of her."--Alex McLaughlin, Evening Standard
"Sensitive and immaculately researched."--Simon Sebag Montefiore, Mail on Sunday
"Harman's biography scrupulously resists gossip in favour of a sober engagement with important questions of truth, identity, and the nature of biographic enquiry. She invites us to rethink our perspective on Fanny Burney, and suggests new approaches to reading a woman's life and work."--Pamela Norris, Literary Review
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
US$ 6.44
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Shipping:
US$ 6.74
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Fair. A readable copy of the book which may include some defects such as highlighting and notes. Cover and pages may be creased and show discolouration. Seller Inventory # GOR005279880
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: AwesomeBooks, Wallingford, United Kingdom
Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. . Seller Inventory # 7719-9780006550365
Quantity: 4 available
Seller: WeBuyBooks, Rossendale, LANCS, United Kingdom
Condition: Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A tan to the pages. Seller Inventory # wbb0024290801
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Dazzlingfull of special delights. Harman excels in the vivid presentation of scenes, the selection of detail[a] marvellous and beautifully written book. Elspeth Barker, Independent on Sunday At the age of fifteen, Fanny Burney made a bonfire of all her works, with the sincere intention to extinguish for ever in their ashes her scribbling propensity. She was anxious that she might turn into an author, a fate incompatible for a woman with respectability. Her hope was in vain. Not only was she to write four novels (Evelina, Cecilia, Camilla and The Wanderer), all of which are still in print, she also kept a voluminous diary for the next seventy years and was a prolific letter-writer. Daughter of the eminent music historian Dr Charles Burney; friend of Sheridan, Garrick, Burke and Johnson; second keeper of the robes to George IIIs Queen Charlotte; wife to a refugee French aristocrat; detained for ten years in revolutionary France; horrified witness of the aftermath of Waterloo; victim of a mastectomy without anaestheticFanny Burneys life was as eventful as any novel. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR001596533
Quantity: 11 available
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Good. Dazzlingfull of special delights. Harman excels in the vivid presentation of scenes, the selection of detail[a] marvellous and beautifully written book. Elspeth Barker, Independent on Sunday At the age of fifteen, Fanny Burney made a bonfire of all her works, with the sincere intention to extinguish for ever in their ashes her scribbling propensity. She was anxious that she might turn into an author, a fate incompatible for a woman with respectability. Her hope was in vain. Not only was she to write four novels (Evelina, Cecilia, Camilla and The Wanderer), all of which are still in print, she also kept a voluminous diary for the next seventy years and was a prolific letter-writer. Daughter of the eminent music historian Dr Charles Burney; friend of Sheridan, Garrick, Burke and Johnson; second keeper of the robes to George IIIs Queen Charlotte; wife to a refugee French aristocrat; detained for ten years in revolutionary France; horrified witness of the aftermath of Waterloo; victim of a mastectomy without anaestheticFanny Burneys life was as eventful as any novel. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine. Seller Inventory # GOR002094896
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Bahamut Media, Reading, United Kingdom
Condition: Very Good. Shipped within 24 hours from our UK warehouse. Clean, undamaged book with no damage to pages and minimal wear to the cover. Spine still tight, in very good condition. Remember if you are not happy, you are covered by our 100% money back guarantee. Seller Inventory # 6545-9780006550365
Quantity: 4 available
Seller: Better World Books Ltd, Dunfermline, United Kingdom
Condition: Good. Ships from the UK. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 39068542-20
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Rhos Point Books, Conwy, United Kingdom
Paperback in Very Good condtion. Slight crease bottom front cover. 431 pages. Please note print is readable but fairly small. Fanny Burney, born in 1752, was a novelist (Virginia Woolf described her as the 'mother of English fiction'), Second Keeper Of The Robes to Queen Charlotte and friend of Sheridan, Garrick, Burke and Dr. Johnson. Seller Inventory # 32492
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: PBShop.store UK, Fairford, GLOS, United Kingdom
PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # VC-9780006550365
Quantity: 15 available
Seller: HALCYON BOOKS, LONDON, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. ALL ITEMS ARE DISPATCHED FROM THE UK WITHIN 48 HOURS ( BOOKS ORDERED OVER THE WEEKEND DISPATCHED ON MONDAY) ALL OVERSEAS ORDERS SENT BY TRACKABLE AIR MAIL. IF YOU ARE LOCATED OUTSIDE THE UK PLEASE ASK US FOR A POSTAGE QUOTE FOR MULTI VOLUME SETS BEFORE ORDERING. Seller Inventory # mon0000171869
Quantity: 1 available