Frances Burney, Evelina, or, A Young Lady's Entrance into the World

Justine Crump (University of Cambridge)

Ed. by Janet Todd, University of Cambridge
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.06: English Writing and Culture of the Romantic Period, 1789-1837.
Vol. editors: Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Daniel Robinson (Widener University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1778

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel
Sentimental

Resources

In January 1778 Thomas Lowndes, a bookseller in the Strand, published an anonymous three-volume novel entitled Evelina, or, a Young Lady's Entrance into the World. Praised by London's literary and social leaders, the novel proved a popular success and one lady reputedly complained to its publisher, “Do Mr. Lowndes give me Evelina Im treated as unfashionable for not having read it”. Speculation was rife about the work's author and by the end of the year it became known that Frances Burney, daughter of the musician and musical historian Dr Charles Burney, had written the novel.

Evelina consists of a series of letters, chiefly written by the eponymous heroine, describing her progress from rural retirement …

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1221 words

Citation: Crump, Justine. "Evelina, or, A Young Lady's Entrance into the World". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 June 2002 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=5268, accessed 22 November 2024.]

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