Evelina by Frances Burney

Evelina by Frances Burney

The reputation of Frances Burney (1752-1840) was largely established with her first novel, Evelina. Published anonymously in 1778, it is an epistolary account of a sheltered young woman's entrance into society and her experience of family. Its comedy ranges from the violent practical joking reminiscent of Smollett's fiction to witty repartee that influenced Austen.

The Broadview edition is based on the second edition of the novel (1779), which incorporates Burney's revisions and corrections. Its appendices include contemporary reviews of Evelinaas well as eighteenth-century works on the family and on comedy.

“Longtime admirers of Frances Burney’s delightful eighteenth-century comedy of manners, Evelina, will no doubt rejoice in Broadview’s impressive new edition of the work, here ably introduced and annotated by Susan Kubica HowardReaders new to the novel have a treat in store. Evelina remains, quite simply, the most accomplished and insouciant comic novel written by an Englishwoman before Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and coruscates anew in the handsome presentation it is given here.” — Terry Castle, Stanford University

“Susan Kubica Howard’s research is impressively detailed, yet accessibly presented so that the edition will serve both seasoned scholars in the field and readers who may be encountering Evelina for the first time.” — Audrey Bilger, Claremont McKenna College

Frances Burney (1752-1840) was an English novelist, playwright, and satirist. Born in Lynn Regis, England, Burney was the third child of six and began writing at the age of ten. In 1778, Burney published Evelina, her first novel, anonymously. Despite her attempts to conceal her identity--which stemmed from a fear of social condemnation as an upper-class woman--her family and friends soon identified Burney as the author of Evelina, for which she would receive critical acclaim and popularity. Following the success of her debut, Burney would write three more novels--Cecilia (1782); Camilla; Or, A Picture of Youth (1796); and The Wanderer; Or, Female Difficulties (1814)--all of which satirize the lives and social conventions of English aristocrats. Although she wrote plays throughout her career, she was dissuaded from having them performed by her father; Edwy and Elgiva, her only play to be produced, closed after one night due to poor audience reception. Regardless of the hostility she faced as a woman and professional writer, her works were widely read and received praise from such figures as Samuel Johnson, Edmund Burke, Jane Austen, and William Makepeace Thackeray.