Evelina

by Frances Burney, Fanny Burney, Fanny Evelina

Book Overview

Frances Burney's first and most enduringly popular novel is a vivid, satirical, and seductive account of the pleasures and dangers of fashionable life in late eighteenth-century London. As she describes her heroine's entry into society, womanhood and, inevitably, love, Burney exposes the vulnerability of female innocence in an image-conscious and often cruel world where social snobbery and sexual aggression are played out in the public arenas of pleasure-gardens,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0199536937
• ISBN13: 9780199536931
• Release Date: December 2008
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 512 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.0" x 7.6"

Customer Reviews

Beautifully Classic

A wonderful story written in satire of the upperclass life in the 18th century. I couldn't put it down until I was sure I had finished every word. Also, it came on time and everything was as advertised.

Still Fresh, Relevant, and Thoroughly Enjoyable

Like another reviewer, I too was introduced to "Evelina" through a college course. Naturally I recommend this book to those who enjoy the novels of Jane Austen, though I'd imagine her fans would already be familiar with Burney since she was Austen's predecessor and inspiration. But specifically, as a male reader, I'd like to point out what men could gain from reading a novel about "a Young Lady's Entrance into the World." First, the novel is written as a collection of letters--mostly Evelina's, though we do get to read many of the replies--which allows us to experience the story through the mind of a young woman in a personal, intimate way. Male readers, both in Burney's time and ours, are given a vivid picture of how women experienced the social world of eighteenth-century England. I must admit that at several points in the novel I was embarassed to witness things I have said and done to "court" a woman today done pretty much the same way toward Evelina--and realized how ridiculous it looks from the other end. The experience has been educational, to say the least. Secondly, the plot is well-developed and keeps your interest throughout. The two big mysteries of the novel are whether Evelina will be officially acknowledged by her biological father and be reunited with him (he refused to raise her, and her mother died during childbirth), and which of her suitors she will end up with. A note on the two principal suitors: one could be seen as Burney's picture of a man who knows how to treat women right, and the other is quite the opposite. I certainly learned much from both examples. Thirdly, Burney was one intellectually sharp lady and no man should think this novel is a sappy romance. Far from it. Her exposure of the hypocrisy and contradictions of society are cleverly woven throughout the novel, though of course with careful subtlety since as a female author she was in a vulnerable position (she wrote in secret and didn't even tell her father, with whom she was very close, that she had the book published until well after the fact). Lastly, the book is just one damn good read. Burney has a wonderful mastery of language and characterization, and everything sparkles with life and vigor. I'm hesitant to give anything a full score; but this novel not only hooked for me for days but made me want to move onto Burney's other novels, such as "Cecilia," "Camilla," and "The Wanderer." In short, Frances Burney is one of the great British writers and deserves a place on every bookshelf as one of the founding mothers of the English novel. Her first book "Evelina" is the perfect place to begin enjoying her work.

Delightful and Insightful

Fanny Burney was a big influence on Jane Austen, but she has significant differences. Burney was an urban sophisticate, sexually aware, and with a taste for slapstick humor--and far less sentimental. The beginning of Evelina is a little hard to get through, but once the title character appears it will have been worth it. Evelina is a country girl who comes to the big city and makes every possible faux pas. Along the way she faces near incest, a bitch of a grandmother, other embarrassing relatives, near rape, clinging prostitutes, and a mischievous monkey. The book is full of unforgettable scenes that stick with you long after you close the cover. But for all the humor, the book is also moving as Evelina it traces Evelina's moral growth.

Why Didn't I Find This Book Sooner?!

I can't begin to say how much I loved this book and how I regret that it had to come to an end. I never though any writer would come close to Jane Austen in my heart, but FB is now on the same playing field. Such a wonderful twisting little tale with a nice surprise ending!

Evelina

Fanny Burney had written a novel while still in her teens in which her heroine, Lady Evelyn, makes a journey to Paris and becomes entangled in an unfortunate set of circumstances that end in her death shortly after giving birth to her first child. Lady Belmont, nee Evelyn predicts that she will die soon and asks the noble and compassionate Reverend Villars to take care of her child till its eighteenth year. Fanny Burney burned this novel and years later wrote Evelina which begins on a winter day when the child of Lady Belmont (Evelina) is in her sixteenth year. The Rev. Villars receives the news that Evelina's grandmother, Madame Duval, wishes to have her granddaughter sent to Paris to live with her. During the course of this story Evelina never travels to Paris but she does begin her journey to adulthood. This novel explores the dark side of life but never loses its light-hearted, comical tone. Evelina Anville grows up to resemble her beautiful mother but her beauty which is described as angelic is only a shadow of her great inner beauty. Unfortunately Evelina's physical beauty is the cause of much of the trouble that she encounters in this novel; troubles that first begin in London when she frizzles her hair, puts on a party gown, and goes to her first ball. A few months later while preparing to leave London Evelina writes, "I shall be very glad to quit this town." She travels back to her native Berry Hill thinking that her problems will go away once she is back home. But she finds that even in Berry Hill - an idealic land of happiness and innocence - her problems have followed her. The Rev. Villars saddened by the change he observes in Evelina states "I see but too plainly, that though Evelina is returned, -- I have lost my child!" And he attempts to end Evelina's distress by prophesying "...doubt not but that time will stand your friend, and all will end well." Evelina has more adventures before the conclusion of this story. Part of the difficulties she encounters are due to the fact that her background is kept secret. Her father, Sir John Belmont, abandoned his wife and denied ever having been married to her. Evelina lives under a false last name and has all her life been "dependent, even for subsistence" on charity. So, though she is of noble birth she has suffered the indignities of the lower classes. In one of the saddest parts of the book when Evelina reveals her past to the man she loves she describes herself as an "outcast."This novel is both a fairy tale and a black comedy. Evelina was written in the eighteenth century and is very much a period piece. Part of the charm of this novel is that it is written as a series of letters - all ending with closings like "Your most obedient and most humble servant." The author's brilliant use of dialogue enlivens the characters. This novel is populated by many fascinating characters ranging from the motherly Rev. Villars, the virago Mada