Mary Davys, Familiar Letters betwixt a Gentleman and a Lady

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 1725

Places

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

Genres and Modes

Epistolary
Novel

Resources

While most of her work makes adroit use of embedded letters, Familiar Letters Betwixt a Gentleman and a Lady is Mary Davys’s only wholly epistolary novel. The short work consists of a correspondence between two friends, Artander, the gentleman, who has gone into the countryside, and Berina, the lady, who has remained in London. Before the novel begins, they have promised each other that they will remain on a strict basis of friendship – no courtship, no love talk, just frank discussion. The promise proves more than Artander can manage, to Berina’s intense annoyance.

The names suggest the romance tradition (there are no surnames) and Artander’s countryside is a generic amalgam of characters and situations, but …

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1337 words

Citation: Bowden, Martha F.. "Familiar Letters betwixt a Gentleman and a Lady". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 August 2005 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=16840, accessed 20 April 2024.]

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