The two brief novels by Mary Davys are her minor work. They are interesting chiefly for their links to similar fiction written in the period by popular writers such as Eliza Haywood and Penelope Aubin. While they show flashes of the ability that produced The Reform'd Coquet and The Accomplish'd Rake, The Lady's Tale lacks those texts' tight construction and focus, and characters in The Cousins are not as psychologically developed as those in her other work.
The Lady's Tale is the story of Abaliza, a much beset heroine in the romance mode. Oppressed by incredible beauty and incompetent parents—the usual twin ills of such ladies—she goes through a series of tribulations before she c…
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Citation: Bowden, Martha F.. "Miscellaneous Works". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 October 2006 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=20620, accessed 24 November 2024.]