Mary Davys, The Reform'd Coquet

Martha F. Bowden (Kennesaw State University)

Ed. by Janet Todd, University of Cambridge
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1724

Places

Ireland, Republic of (Eire) (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

The Reform’d Coquet is the story of Amoranda, a young woman who is “reformed” from a careless and flighty girl to a mature and marriageable woman by the tutelage of a mentor named Formator. She has all the attributes of a heroine of romance: she is beautiful, wealthy, accomplished and an orphan, and is thus both desirable and vulnerable, not only because of her orphan status, but also through her own playful and careless nature. The mentor is provided by a benevolent uncle, who has chosen a husband for her but believes she is not yet ready for marriage. But if the story has all the ingredients of romance, it also has a healthy infusion of the Restoration stage, for not only is this heroine beautiful, she is also witty …

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1507 words

Citation: Bowden, Martha F.. "The Reform'd Coquet". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 August 2005 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=16839, accessed 24 November 2024.]

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