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Raised in seclusion until her seventeenth birthday, Evelina is exposed to London society for the first time while in the company of the fashionable Lady Howard. Evelina’s lack of aristocratic upbringing quickly becomes apparent, but undaunted by her lack of awareness of the customs and conventions of eighteenth-century London, Evelina strives to win the love of established nobleman Lord Orville.
Published anonymously, Frances Burney’s Evelina is a satirical novel that conveys one young woman’s coming-of-age in highly aggressive, and fashionable eighteenth-century society. Evelina’s innocent commentary perfectly depicts the isolating effect of these customs, while also criticizing them, and provides shrewd commentary on the spectacle and formalities of English society.
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Fanny Burney
Born Frances Burney, Fanny Burney (1752–1840) was an English author of satirical novels and plays. Burney was self-educated and began writing at the age of ten. She moved between literary circles and learned about the art of writing from her peers. At the age of twenty-six, she anonymously published the novel Evelina, which became an instant hit and an inspiration for Jane Austen’s writing. After revealing her identity as the author of Evelina, Burney released Cecilia to less acclaim. In 1802, she visited France with her husband and son, and due to the Napoleonic Wars, was forced to stay in the country for ten years. Burney spent the remainder of her life in London, where she published her father’s memoirs prior to her death.
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