Evelina (Best Summary)

Burney, Frances. Evelina.

Summary

Volume One

Evelina's Family History: Lady Howard from Howard Grove, Kent, announces to Reverend Arthur Villars from Berry Hill, Dorsetshire, that Madame Duval from Paris wishes Villars's ward, her seventeen-year-old grand-daughter Evelina, to be sent to her. Villars refuses on account of Madame Duval's being "by no means a proper companion or guardian for a young woman: she is at once uneducated and unprincipled; ungentle in her temper, and unamiable in her manners" (p. 13). Madame Duval's first marriage to Mr Evelyn produced the daughter Caroline, who was by her father's last will brought up as Villars's ward. When she came off age, Madame Duval sent for her to Paris and pressed her to marry a nephew of her second husband Monsieur Duval. Caroline rashly married Sir John Belmont instead, fled to England, and was abandoned by her husband. Her mother disclaimed her. Lady Belmont died after she gave birth to Evelina.

Invitation to London: Lady Howard invites Evelina to join her daughter Mrs Mirvan, her husband Captain Mirvan, and their daughter Maria for a period of two or three months which they intent to spend in London. For both Maria and Evelina it is the first time that they are introduced to society. Evelina uses the name Miss Anville, though she is acquainted with her family history. Evelina is at first enchanted by the theatres, operas, and sights of London. As a girl inexperienced with city manners, she however soon commits a series of social blunders.

The Ball and Lord Orville: At a ball Evelina unwittingly violates a social rule when she rejects a disagreeable coxcomb, Mr Lovel, but shortly afterwards she accepts another man, Lord Orville, for a dancing partner. She admires Lord Orville's gentlemanly manners, politeness, and grace. When she realizes her faux pas, she is highly disconcerted by the thought that Lord Orville may interpret her ignorance as ill-breeding or mischief.

The Ridotto and Sir Willoughby: At the ridotto, another dancing entertainment, Evelina is asked for a dance by a stranger. It is not acceptable in high society for a lady to dance with strangers, but Evelina does not know how to reject the man politely, so she professes that she is already engaged for the dance. The stranger, Sir Clement Willoughby, keeps on pressing her in a very impolite manner and seeks to learn the name of her partner. She finally points out Lord Orville who immediately understands the situation and supports her. Evelina now looks forward to quitting London: "I am too inexperienced and ignorant to conduct myself properly in this town, where every thing is new to me, and many things are unaccountable and perplexing" (p. 53).

Appearance of Madame Duval: On returning from an evening entertainment, Evelina's party accidentally comes across a stranger who lost her company and they assist the woman to their coach. The stranger turns out to be Madame Duval. She immediately falls in dispute with Captain Mirvan, who is strongly prejudiced against anything not English, while the frenchified Madame Duval makes a point of despising all English. Evelina does not like Madame Duval's manners but is obliged to pay her grandmother due respect.

Coach Accident: Madame Duval joins the party for a tea Ranelagh. She has been a widow for the last three months and is accompanied by her beau, Monsieur Du Bois. He is not a great addition to the company for he does not speak English. Evelina's party is joined by Lord Orville and Sir Willoughby. It is cold and raining when they leave, and their coach meets an accident. Seeing Evelina in distress, Sir Willoughby carries her in his arms back to the warm room. Madame Duval and Monsieur Du Bois are even worse than the rest of the company, for they both fell in mud when the gentleman attempted to carry the lady over a puddle in his arms.

The Comedy and Mr Lovel's Offence: Evelina meets Madame Duval's nephew Mr Branghton, his wife, their pretentious daughters Polly and Biddy, and their mischievous son Tom. Evelina and the Mirvans attend William Congreve's sentimental comedy Love for Love and the ladies find the play very bawdy and indecent. The company meets Mr Lovel who behaves rudely to Evelina, implying a comparison of Evelina and an unrefined country girl from the play. Lord Orville appears and defends Evelina, comparing her to the lovely principal heroine of the play.

The Opera and the Branghtons: The Mirvans are taking Evelina for a musical opera, but in midst of the preparations, the Branghtons storm into the house with the intention to take Evelina for the same opera themselves. Evelina at first refuses, explaining that she is already engaged. Madame Duval however makes a terrible raging scene, on which Evelina consents to accompany her. Neither the Mirvans nor Madame Duval have ever been to an opera and they do not know how to behave at such occasion. Evelina is ashamed at their behaviour: "I fear you will think this London journey has made me grow very proud, but indeed this family is so low-bred and vulgar, that I should be equally ashamed of such a connection in the country, or any where" (p. 104-5).

Sir Willoughby's Advance: Evelina is grateful when Sir Willoughby appears at the opera and offers her his company. She immediately leaves the Branghtons, but does not realize that she is not dressed well enough to be able to join the ladies in the best seats in the pit. She must be therefore escorted by with Sir Willoughby. In the coach, Sir Willoughby frightens Evelina with his his confession that he adores her. Evelina's fear further heightens when she realizes that the coach carries her somewhere else than to the Mirvans. She is on the point of jumping out when Sir Willoughby orders the coachman to turn to the correct address and begs Evelina to forgive him, which she duly does.

The Pantheon and the Stranger's Offence: Evelina learns from Mrs Mirvan that Lord Orville ensured that Evelina would not be offended by Mr Lovel again. Lord Orville apparently asked Mr Lovel either to improve his conduct or to fight a duel with him. Mr Lovel's behaviour immediately improves. Evelina's spends her last evening in London in the Pantheon, where Sir Willoughby, unabashed, continues on courting her. Another gentleman, a stranger, intrudes into Evelina's society. Evelina thinks both men very rude and Lord Orville observes them with a frown.

Claiming Evelina's Father: Evelina is to leave London for a stay with Lady Howard at Howard Grove. Madame Duval forces herself on the company and must be taken with them. When Monsieur Du Bois intrudes into the coach to accompany Madame Duval, Captain Mirvan throws him out. Madame Duval announces her intention to claim by law Evelina's father and to make Evelina a polished lady by taking her to Paris. In a letter to Lady Howard, Reverend Villars reveals that he intends to adopt Evelina for his own daughter and heiress and that he wishes her to prefer simple country life in future rather than the dissipated city.

Volume 2

Captain Mirvan's Practical Joke: The company at Howard Grove is joined by Sir Willoughby to much joy of Captain Mirvan. The two men share a cruel sense of humour and together they devise a plan by which they convince Madame Duval that Monsieur Du Bois was arrested for treason. Madame Duval makes Evelina accompany her to the justice of peace to plead for Du Bois's release. They travel in vain for they are reached by a note saying that Du Bois had escaped from prison. On their way back their coach gets lost and they are robbed. The masked robbers are nobody else but Captain Mirvan and Sir Willoughby. The latter had slipped Evelina a note ensuring her that she has nothing to fear whatever happens. Madame Duval is the only who does not see through the plot, she is humiliated and derided by everyone, including the coachmen.

To London with Madame Duval: Sir John Belmont writes a letter in which he refuses to acknowledge Evelina as his daughter. Madame Duval intends to take Evelina to Paris where Sir Belmont is staying at the moment and to confront him in person. Evelina does not wish to go, neither does she wish to see the parent who rejected her. Reverend Villars does not allow Madame Duval to take Evelina to Paris, but on personal confrontation, Madame Duval makes him consent to Evelina's staying with her in London where they are to wait for Sir Belmont's return. With Madame Duval, Evelina moves in the lower-class society. They lodge together with Monsieur Du Bois and the Branghtons in disreputable poor quarters in Holborn.

Vauxhall and Sir Willoughby: Evelina's company introduces her to vulgar places that they think fashionable. During a night visit to Vauxhall, Misses Branghton leave their party for a stroll in a dark alley. Evelina accompanies them. Their original design is to frighten their company by making them believe that they got lost. They are however frightened themselves when they are surrounded by a group of jolly men who treat them with utmost insolence. The men seize the girls captive and refuse to let them go. One of the men turns out to be Sir Willoughby who singles out Evelina and delivers her safely to her company. Evelina is embarrassed at being seen by Sir Willoughby in such a vulgar party and so is Sir Willoughby. The next day Sir Willoughby pays Evelina a visit during which he is cruelly abused by Madame Duval and derided by the rest of the company.

Hampstead Ball and Mr Smith the Landlord: Mr Smith, the landlord, courts Evelina and invites her for a ball at Hampstead. Madame Duval makes Evelina attend the ball and instead of playing cards in the separate room, which is proper for elderly women at such occasions, she usurps Mr Smith for dancing. Evelina is shocked by the vulgar manners of Madame Duval and by the ill-breeding of the men who keep on asking her for a dance. She refuses all, including Mr Smith, who thinks her a vain coquette. Evelina's cousin is jealous of her for she thinks of having Mr Smith to herself. She has set her mind on competing in love affairs with her sister who already has her beau.

Mr Macartney the Poor Lodger: Evelina saves the life of one of the fellow lodgers, the poor Scottish poet Mr Macartney. He is about to commit suicide, but Evelina notices his melancholy and catches him in the act. Observing his extreme poverty, she is moved by compassion and drops her purse to assist him without obliging him. Mr Macartney explains his history in a letter to Evelina. He was born of English parents, but his mother fled to Scotland after being abandoned by his father. When visiting his friend in Paris, he fell in love with a daughter of respectable parents and injured her disapproving father in a duel. The girl's father turned out to be his own father and the girl his own sister. After his mother's death soon afterwards, he was too proud to accept help from friends and fell in poverty.

The Fireworks and Evelina's Suitors: Evelina's company attends a performance with fireworks. Evelina and the other ladies are frightened by the explosions and hasten farther from the stage so as not to incur any harm. The company breaks up and Evelina finds herself alone in the crowd. She is pursued by a strange man and seeks protection with two ladies, who however turn out to be women of ill-fame. Accidentally, Lord Orville appears and though he is surprised to find Evelina in such a company, he seems to understand her conditions. Back in their lodgings, Madame Duval suggests that Evelina should marry her cousin Branghton, if she does not find a better match in Paris. At the same time, Evelina receives a note from Monsieur Du Bois who declares his romantic attachment to Evelina.

Lord Orville's Offensive Letter: Evelina apologizes in a letter to Lord Orville for the behaviour of the Branghtons. Lord Orville shocks her by a letter of reply in which he mentions commencing a correspondence, which implies an invitation to sexual liaison. Young ladies at time did not correspondent with men to whom they were not engaged: ""That a man who had behaved with so strict a regard to delicacy," continued Mr Villars, "and who, as far as occasion had allowed, manifested sentiments the most honourable, should thus insolently, thus wantonly insult a modest young woman, in his perfect senses, I cannot think possible. But, my dear, you should have enclosed this letter in an empty cover, and have returned it to him again: such a resentment would at once have become your character, and have given him an opportunity, in some measure, of clearing his own"" (p. 298). Evelina is so deeply disappointed in Lord Orville's character that she falls ill and must be transferred to the Bristol spa.

Volume 3

Bristol and Lord Orville: Evelina is accompanied to Bristol by the articulate Mrs Selwyn who fends her against the advances of insolent beaus. One of them is Lord Merton, the stranger who offended Evelina with his unwelcome attention in the Pantheon. Lord Merton is about to marry the young wealthy sister of Lord Orville, Lady Louisa Larpent. The whole family stays in the house of a relation, Mrs Beaumont, at Clifton Hill. Mrs Selwyn and Evelina are invited for a stay at Mrs Beaumont during which Evelina enjoys Lord Orville's respectful attentions. Lord Merton and his companion Mr Jack Coverley make a bet for a phaeton-race between each other. The ladies disapprove, so the men produce an alternative plan featuring two old women foot-racing on behalf of the two men. Lord Merton is intoxicated with his victory in the race and makes advances to Evelina, who is delivered from his hands by Lord Orville.

Miss Belmont and Mr Macartney: Mr Macartney appears at Clifton Hill to inform Evelina about his improved fortune and to return her the borrowed money, which Evelina refuses. She is seen in his company by Lord Orville who misinterprets the encounter, but the mistake is explained afterwards. Lord Orville arranges the meeting of Evelina and Mr Macartney so that the two could talk without suspicion of indecency. Evelina is shocked to learn that there is Miss Belmont in the city, the sole heiress of Sir John Belmont. Mr Macartney informs Evelina that Miss Belmont is the daughter of his own father and Evelina realizes that Mr Macartney is her half-brother.

Lord Orville and Sir Willoughby: Reverend Villars grows aware of Evelina's attachment to Lord Orville, warns her against him, and urges her to quit him. Evelina obeys Villars's instructions and starts avoiding Lord Orville. She is sorry to lose a valuable friend and protector. Lord Orville reacts with the same coldness. Sir Willoughby makes his appearance in Bristol and joins the party. Lord Orville believes that Evelina's reasons lie in her preferring Sir Willoughby rather than himself. Evelina is delivered by Lord Orville from the advances of Sir Willoughby who refuses to acknowledge her denial. Evelina assures Lord Orville that Sir Willoughby is not the cause of her changed behaviour but refuses to tell more for the moment. Lord Orville discloses his love to Evelina. It turns out that the offensive letter was not written by Lord Orville but by Sir Willoughby who took hold of Evelina's note and responded in Lord Orville's name.

All Revealed and Explained: Mrs Selwyn acts on behalf of Evelina and introduces her to Sir John Belmont. He is stricken by Evelina's resemblance to her dead mother and acknowledges her as his daughter. It turns out that the professed Miss Belmont is a child of the nurse who was to deliver Lady Belmont's infant daughter to her father. The nurse exchanged the babies on purpose and instead of Evelina, she handed in her own daughter Polly. Sir John Belmont had the girl brought up in a secluded convent in France. On receiving the letter on behalf of his true heiress, he believed he was being tricked, therefore he refused to acknowledge Evelina before.

Becoming Countess Orville: The penitent Sir Belmont clears the name of his late wife and he also takes on responsibility to Miss Polly Green whom he declares his foster-daughter. Miss Green is to be married to Mr Macartney as the two are now discovered not to be related. Evelina and her company travel to Bath and on their way, they are joined by Captain Mirvan and his daughter Maria. Captain plays his last practical joke when he introduces a monkey as a doppelgänger of the base Mr Lovel. Mr Lovel is furious, assaults the beast, and is bitten by him in his neck. Evelina obtains permission to marriage from Reverend Villars, she is married to become Countess Orville, and sets off with her husband for Berry Hill.

Analysis

Structure: The novel was published first anonymously. It is introduced by a poem in dedication to an unnamed person, presumably Burney's father. Follows a letter "To the Authors of the Monthly and Critical Reviews" in which the author asks for unbiased critique. The "Preface" explains that the aim of the novel is to present not a fashionable romance but an imitation of real life. It is an epistolary novel, written completely in letters by different persons, but the bulk of the novel consists of continuing letters by Evelina herself. Evelina's accounts of her experience are interrupted only several times by the few letters from Reverend Villars, who provides a mature moral judgement on the events. The letters span from March to October.

Themes and Motifs: The novel portrays in great detail the world of suffocating social rules and conventions inhabited by characters who either attempt to comply to them or deliberately rebel against them. The innocent Evelina violates social codes out of ignorance. The well informed Lord Orville complies to the rules with grace and so represents the ideal of a well-bred gentleman. The rakish Sir Willoughby deliberately breaks the rules in order to pursue his own licentious pleasures. Captain Mirvan and Mrs Selwyn refuse to follow the rules which they regard as pretentious and foolish and make use of the criterion of practicality and common sense instead. The novel shows the snares set for an unprotected young and beautiful woman in the larger world beyond her home: Evelina is in constant danger from seducers who do not accept denial for an answer, she is even often held by force until delivered by a protector. One of the novel's motifs is the conflict between domestic English manners and the more lax ways imported from France: the mutual hostility between the English and the French is well manifested in the fights between Madame Duval and Captain Mirvan.

Influence: Burney's novels profoundly influenced the work of Jane Austen. Austen's Sense and Sensibility also features a character named Willoughby, who is also presented as a young, attractive, but irresponsible seducer. Austen's Pride and Prejudice includes a more refined version of the rough and pragmatic Captain Mirvan in the character of Mr Bennet, who also satirizes the deficiencies of the fashionable society. In Burney's novel, Captain Mirvan is supplemented with a female counterpart in the straightforward Mrs Selwyn, who sees through the pretensions of the society and comments on them with brilliant wit.

Evelina

Plot summary

The novel opens with a distressed letter from Lady Howard to her long-time acquaintance, the Reverend Arthur Villars. In the letter, Lady Howard reports that Mme. Duval, the grandmother of Villars' ward, Evelina Anville, intends to visit England to renew her acquaintance with her grand-daughter Evelina. Eighteen years earlier, Mme. Duval had broken off her relationship with her daughter Caroline, Evelina's mother, and has never acknowledged Evelina. Reverend Villars fears Mme. Duval's influence could lead Evelina to an untimely and shameful death similar to that of her mother Caroline.

In an effort to keep Evelina away from Mme. Duval, the Reverend consents to her visiting Lady Howard's home, Howard Grove, on an extended holiday. While she is there, news comes informing the family that Lady Howard's son-in-law, Captain Mirvan, a naval officer, is returning to England after an absence of seven years. Desperate to join the Mirvans on their trip to London, Evelina entreats her guardian to let her attend them, promising that the visit will last only a few weeks. With reluctance, the Reverend consents.

In London, Evelina's beauty and ambiguous social status attract unwanted attention and unkind speculation. Ignorant of the conventions and behaviours of 18th-century London society, she makes a series of humiliating (but humorous) faux pas, further exposing her to the ridicule of society. She soon earns the attentions of two gentlemen: Lord Orville, a handsome and extremely eligible peer who is a pattern card of modest and becoming behaviour, and Sir Clement Willoughby, a baronet with duplicitous intentions. Evelina's untimely reunion with her grandmother, along with the embarrassment her grandmother and her hitherto unknown extended family, the Branghtons, cause with their boorish social-climbing antics, soon lead her to believe that she will never gain Lord Orville's attention.

The Mirvans finally return to the country, taking Evelina and Mme. Duval with them. Spurred by Evelina's greedy cousins, Mme. Duval concocts a plan to sue Sir John Belmont, Evelina's father, and force him to recognize his daughter's claim in court. The Reverend is furious. Lady Howard intervenes and manages to elicit a compromise that sees her write to Sir John. Sir John responds unfavorably to her entreaty.

Mme. Duval is furious and threatens to take Evelina back to Paris with her to pursue the lawsuit. A second compromise sees Evelina return to London with her grandmother. There, she is forced to spend time in the company of her ill-bred cousins, the Branghtons, and their rowdy friends. During this period, Evelina is distracted by a melancholy Scottish poet, Mr. Macartney, whose dire poverty is clear. At one stage, she misinterprets his acquisition of pistols as a suicide attempt and bids him to look to his salvation. She later discovers he had been premeditating armed robbery to change his financial status whilst tracing his own obscure parentage, as well as recovering from the sudden death of his mother and the discovery that his beloved is actually his sister. Evelina gives him her purse as an act of charity. Beyond this episode, her time with the Branghtons is uniformly mortifying. Among the events she must suffer through is a disastrous visit to Marylebone, a pleasure garden, which sees her attacked by a drunken sailor and then rescued by prostitutes. It is in this humiliating company that she meets Lord Orville again. Certain that she has lost all possibility of his respect, she is stunned when he seeks her out in the unfashionable section of London and appears to be interested in renewing their earlier acquaintance. However, an insulting letter supposedly from Lord Orville leaves her devastated. Despondent at the belief that she erred in her perceptions of Orville, she returns home to Berry Hill and falls ill.

Slowly recuperating from her illness, Evelina agrees to accompany her neighbour, a sarcastic widow named Mrs. Selwyn, to the resort town of Clifton Heights. There, she attracts the unwanted attentions of a womanizer, Lord Merton, who she eventually learns is on the eve of marrying Lady Louisa Larpent, Lord Orville's sister. She realises they have come to Clifton to prepare for the wedding. Evelina tries to distance herself from Lord Orville because of his impertinent piece of correspondence, but his gentle manners work their spell and Evelina is torn between her attachment to him and her belief in his past duplicity.

The unexpected appearance of Mr. Macartney reveals an unexpected streak of jealousy in the heretofore unflappable Lord Orville. Convinced that Macartney is a rival for Evelina's affections, Lord Orville withdraws. In reality, Macartney has arrived in Clifton Heights to repay his financial debt to Evelina.

Lord Orville's genuine affection for Evelina and her assurances that nothing untoward is going on between her and Macartney finally win out over Orville's jealousy, and he secures a meeting between Evelina and Macartney. It appears that all doubts have been resolved between Lord Orville and Evelina, especially when Mrs. Selwyn informs her that she overheared Lord Orville arguing with Sir Clement about the latter's inappropriate attentions to Evelina. Lord Orville proposes, much to Evelina's delight. However, Evelina is distraught at the continuing gulf between herself and her father and the mystery surrounding his false daughter. Finally, Mrs. Selwyn is able to secure a surprise meeting with Sir John. When he sees Evelina, he is horrified and guilt-stricken because she closely resembles her mother, Caroline. Evelina is able to ease his guilt with her repeated gentle pardons and the delivery of a letter written by her mother on her deathbed in which she forgives Sir John for his behavior if he will remove her ignominy (by acknowledging their marriage) and acknowledge Evelina as his legitimate daughter.

It is Mrs. Clifton, Berry Hill's longtime housekeeper, who is able to reveal the second Miss Belmont's parentage. She identifies Polly Green, Evelina's former wetnurse and mother of a girl only six weeks older than Evelina, as the perpetrator of the fraud. Polly has been passing her own daughter off as that of Sir John and Caroline for the past eighteen years in the hopes of securing a better future for her. Ultimately, Lord Orville suggests that the unfortunate girl be named a co-heiress alongside Evelina, much to kind-hearted Evelina's delight.

Finally, Sir Clement Willoughby writes to Evelina and confesses to being the author of the insulting letter she received from Orville (although Evelina already suspected as much), which he wrote in the hope of separating Lord Orville and Evelina. Mr. Macartney is reunited with the false Miss Belmont, who was the young woman with whom he had been in love in Paris. Separated by Sir John, at first because Macartney was of too low birth and wealth to marry his purported daughter, and then because, thanks to an affair with Mr. Macartney's mother, he thought they were brother and sister, they are able to marry now that Miss "Belmont's" true parentage has become known. They are married in a joint ceremony alongside Lord Orville and Evelina, now Sir John's acknowledged daughter. After Lord Orville and Evelina marry, they travel to Berry Hill to see Reverend Villars for their honeymoon trip.^[2]

Evelina

Introduction

Fanny Burney’s Evelina; or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World is a fascinating and funny look at high society in late eighteenth-century Britain. Through a quite extensive collection of letters, the story unfolds and the reader is welcomed into the evolving world of a young, innocent country girl as she learns the ways of her society through misunderstandings and embarrassing social errors. Evelina’s innocence is matched in equal measure with the lies and pretenses of egocentric characters who make fools of themselves in their attempts to win influence.

With twists and turns, misunderstandings, and false identities, Burney tells a story that is reminiscent of Shakespearean comedies. When Evelina; or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World was first published, Kate Chisholm writes in an article for the Guardian, “everyone wanted to know who had written such a wickedly funny satire on fashionable society.” This book marked the beginning of Burney’s very successful career as a writer, as well as the birth of one of England’s most famous female novelists. Her books were the talk of the town, and people impatiently waited for each new book to appear. Burney’s writing was, according to Lauren Goldstein, writing for Time Europe, “more widely read than Jane Austen’s” during her time.

Evelina; or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World is the kind of book that is hard to put down. Even if the reader suspects how the book will end, the writing is so compelling and the story so convoluted that trying to figure out what will happen next keeps the reader turning the pages. The book was audacious in Burney’s time. Today it is a fascinating look into the eighteenth century through the eyes of an intelligent and witty woman.

Evelina Summary

Letter I–Letter IX
Fanny Burney’s story Evelina; or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World opens with a letter from Lady Howard to the Reverend Arthur Villars in which she complains about the rudeness of Madame Duvall. Lady Howard then continues the letter inviting Evelina to stay at Howard Grove for a brief period of time. The reverend agrees to send Evelina to Lady Howard so she can enjoy the company of Maria Mirvan, Lady Howard’s granddaughter and a childhood friend of Evelina’s. Shortly after Evelina arrives, Lady Howard sends another note to the reverend asking his permission to allow Evelina to accompany Maria and her mother to London to await the arrival of Captain Mirvan, Maria’s father, who is returning from sea duty. The reverend agrees and Mrs. Mirvan, Maria, and Evelina set off for London.

Letter X–Letter XXIII
During their stay in London, Mrs. Mirvan decides to take the two young girls to a ball. At the ball, Evelina dances with Lord Orville. This is the first ball that Evelina ever attended, and she makes many social errors, including insulting a man with whom she refuses to dance and becoming somewhat dumbfounded by the presence of Lord Orville. Maria overhears Lord Orville describe Evelina as “a poor weak girl!” However, when the man with whom she refused to dance refers to Evelina as being ill bred, Lord Orville comes to her defense and states “that elegant face can never be so vile a mask!”

Evelina is somewhat intrigued by Lord Orville, but she does not like that he has referred to her as a weak girl, and every time she sees him afterward, she tries to improve his image of her, but she always finds herself at a loss for words because she is so awed by him.

While in London, the Mirvans accidentally bump into Madame Duvall who is on her way to stay with Lady Howard. Captain Mirvan makes fun of Madame Duvall at every opportunity. Madame Duvall, for her part, continually exposes her lack of social grace and intelligence. Eventually, everyone returns to Howard Grove.

Letter XXIV–Letter XXXIX
Back at Howard Grove, Evelina remarks that the atmosphere has changed so much with the presence of the Captain and his constant disapproval of Madame Duvall that she is uncomfortable there. Madame Duvall then informs her that she is writing to Sir John Belmont to find out if he would acknowledge Evelina as his daughter. If all else fails, Madame Duvall is willing to bring a lawsuit against Sir Belmont, something that everyone at Howard Grove finds disgraceful except for Madame Duvall. To soften Madame Duvall’s crude attempts to win Sir Belmont’s support of his daughter, Lady Howard writes a letter to Sir Belmont, asking that he allow Evelina to visit him. Sir Belmont writes back, refusing.

Sir Clement Willoughby visits Howard Grove and continues his aggressive pursuit of Evelina. Willoughby also schemes with the Captain to further antagonize Madame Duvall, by sending her off on a wild goose chase for her companion Monsieur DuBois and then faking a robbery of some of her goods. Madame Duvall leaves Howard Grove and visits with the Reverend Villars in an attempt to get him to concede to her taking Evelina back to Paris with her. In concession, he does agree to allow Evelina to stay with Madame Duvall for a short while in London.

Letter XL–Letter LVI
Evelina stays with Madame Duvall in London. She remarks that the London she had visited earlier with Mrs. Mirvan and Maria is totally different from the London that she...

Boswell and Johnson

Boswell's Biographical Style and Technique

Tries to tell Johnson's story with his own words as much as possible

Presentation of character

-Examples that delineate character

----Johnson's letter to Chesterfield

-reception of Boswell

-Physical description

-Johnson's words on death

-deathbed prayers and Shakespeare

Dramatic/Romantic Tone

- Johnson's death portrayed like an epic hero. (Boswell, 1330)

Samuel Johnson's Rambler No.4

Johnson begins with defining the novel in a similar manner as we view the novel today.

--Ordinary events happening to everyday people influenced by passion and human qualities

The goal of the novel is to remain interesting but not be silly, or improbable

--Most literature of the past relied on these facetious elements

"A book was thus produced without fear of criticism, without the toil of study, without knowledge of nature, or acquaintance with life." (Johnson 2744)

However modern writing require three things

--Knowledge gained from text

--Experience

--Observation of the world

Book that don't add up to this, are for "the young, the ignorant, and the idol" (Johnson 2744)

--They are "the entertainment of minds unfurnished with ideas, and therefore easily susceptible of impressions" (Johnson 2744)

Philosophy is not as useful as a novel because novels mix delight with teaching

Even in fiction the components always originate in truth

The ultimate of literature is to improve people

--Horatian idea

Does James Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson, L.L.D. conform to Samuel Johnson's guidelines for biographies in Rambler No.60?

--Find text from Rambler No.60 that outlines Johnson's ideas of a biographer's duty.

Alexander Pope

Parallelism: (parallel structure or parallel construction) a balance of 2 or more simlar words, phrases or clauses.

Antithesis: (Greek "placing against") juxtaposition of opposed terms in clauses or sentences that are next to or near each other.

Elision: the omission of one or more sounds (such as a vowel, a consonant, or a whole syllable) in a word or phrase, producing a result that is easier for the speaker to pronounce.

Personification: either an inanimate object or an abstract concept is spoken of as though it were endowed with life or with human attributes or feelings.

Milton

Pastoral: (Latin for 'shepherd'); a deliberately conventional poem expressing an urban poet's nostalgic image of the supposed peace and simplicity of the life of shepherds and other rural folk in an idealized natural setting. (M.H. Abrams)

Sidney's Astrophil and Stella (Histories)

History

• Protestant Reformation (1517 - Martin Luther's 95 Theses--about 60 years before)
• Dissolution of Monasteries (1536-1541)
• - many monasteries are closed by King Henry VIII due to the assumption that they would remain loyal to the pope
• Elizabeth I takes reign in 1558, 4 years after Sidney is born, until 1603
• Spenser composes Faerie Queene (1590-1596)
• Shakespeare's theatrical career (1585?-c.1613)

Sir Philip Sidney

• born on November 30, 1554, at Penshurst, Kent. He was the eldest son of Sir Henry Sidney, Lord Deputy of Ireland, and nephew of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. He was named after his godfather, King Philip II of Spain.
• lived the life of a popular and eminent courtier.
• attended the court of Elizabeth I, and was considered "the flower of chivalry."
• an active patron of the arts
• Sidney's Astrophil and Stella ("Starlover and Star") was begun probably around 1576, during his courtship with Penelope Devereux. Astrophil and Stella, which includes 108 sonnets and 11 songs, is the first in the long line of Elizabethan sonnet cycles.
• Elizabethan sonnet = a sonnet consisting three quatrains and a concluding couplet in iambic pentameter with the rhyme pattern abab cdcd efef gg
• Most of the sonnets are influenced by Petrarchan conventions — the abject lover laments the coldness of his beloved lady towards him, even though he is so true of love and her neglect causes him so much anguish.
• Lady Penelope was married to Lord Rich in 1581; Sidney married Frances Walsingham in 1583. Some speculation if A & S could be autobiographical.
• In 1586, Sidney fought in a skirmish against the Spanish at Zutphen, and was wounded by a musket shot that shattered his thigh-bone. Twenty-two days later Sidney died of the unhealed wound at thirty-one.
• His death was greatly mourned in England by the Queen and her subjects, as he had been the man who had come to exemplify the ideal courtier.
• It is said that Londoners, come out to see the funeral progression, cried out "Farewell, the worthiest knight that lived."

Sidney's Astrophil and Stella (Questions)

1, 2, 6, 20, 28, 31, 52, 71, 72, 74, 108.

Sidney as Astrophil

(6.14) What do you think “trembling” means? Fear? Sadness? What does he mean? Why?

(20) Who is he speaking about? Why does he think Cupid shot the wrong person?

(28) What is he saying? is he concerned with validating his reasons? W Why hy was this sonnet chosen?

(31) Why is he upset with Cupid? Doctor mentality/never been sick.

(52) What is the debate between Virtue and Love? What is Love claiming, what is Virtue claiming?

(71) How does Astrophil change his tactic; what strategy is he using?

(72) What does he part ways with, what problems does he encounter?

(74) What similarities can we glean between 28 and 74? What does that say about Sidney’s audience?

(108) What did he end with? What is the ending to these sonnets? Was it worth it?

What is the debate between love and virtue throughout the poem?

Who is he speaking to?

What kind of love do you think he ended with?

1. Reason for writing these sonnets, to try and obtain the favorable disposition of a woman.

2. Gradual process of obtaining the love. She doesn’t know how he feels because he’s finally come to the realization.

6. He can’t spit it out that he loves Stella. “His voice trembles,” loss for words. First time we hear “Stella.”

20. Cupid? Why do you think he thinks Cupid shot the wrong person.

28. This isn’t about fame. It’s not just to show off. Bound to his love, but loving it.

31. Cupid knows all about love, but does he understand it? Complaining that Cupid shot the wrong person. At this point the love is still unrequited. He thinks Stella is being proud. And she’s scorning his love because she enjoys getting the attention.

52. Debate between love and virtue. Love (Cupid) is on Astrophil’s side, but Virtue is on Stella’s husband’s side

71. Losing his ability to resist. Trying to appeal to her reason instead of force. In the back of his mind, he still wants her.

72. He wants to take Desire out of the picture, but he acknowledges that its very difficult to do, to the point of not knowing how to do so.

74. He’s inspired; he’s not a professional. “Stella’s Kiss”

108. Didn’t get the girl, when I think of her I feel happy, but then I feel sad because I don’t have you.

That, in my sadness concerning you, you are still my joy,

And in my joys concerning you, you are my only suffering.

The Book of Kells: is the most recognized and most remarkable artifact of medieval Celtic art. An Irish manuscript containing the Four Gospels, a fragment of Hebrew names, and the Eusebian canons, known also as the 'Book of Columba'. It features page after page of lavish, colorful lettering, illumination, decoration and illustration.

Alliterative Verse: a form of verse that uses alliteration as the principal structuring device to unify lines of poetry, as opposed to other devices such as rhyme; stemming from the Germanic lands and evidenced in Anglo-Saxon epics.

Affective Piety: another way of saying someone is reliant on dramatic gestures of faith.

Mystical Experience:

1. Ineffablity (feeling, not intellect)
2. noetic quality ("perceive")
3. Transcience
4. Passivity
5. experience of unity
6. timelessness
7. new understanding of self
8. ascension through stages: purgation, illumination, union with God.

Norman Conquest: William the Conqueror and the Normans conquer England in 1066.

Breton Lai: a form of medieval French and English romance literature. Lais are short (typically 600–1000 lines), rhymed tales of love and chivalry, often involving supernatural and fairy-world Celtic motifs.

Lanval: promises not to reveal the identity of his mistress, which he breaks when Guinevere accuses him of having "no desire for women".

Romance: fantastic stories about the marvelous adventures of a chivalrous, heroic knight errant, often of super-human ability, who often goes on a quest.

Courtly Love: An idealized and often illicit form of love celebrated in the literature of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in which a knight or courtier devotes himself to a noblewoman who is usually married and feigns indifference to preserve her reputation. The courtly lover existed to serve his lady.

Mary as Intercessor:

Geoffrey of Monmouth: Writer and author who created the main framework of Arthurian legend and the figure of Arthur as a semi-historical British king.

Petrarch: Italian scholar; known as "Father of Humanism"; known for being one of the first people to refer to the Dark Ages.

Sir Gawain: has the reputation of being a great knight and courtly lover. He prides himself on his observance of the five points of chivalry in every aspect of his life. Gawain is a pinnacle of humility, piety, integrity, loyalty, and honesty. His only flaw proves to be that he loves his own life so much that he will lie in order to protect himself. Gawain leaves the Green Chapel penitent and changed.

King Arthur: The king of Camelot; steps forward to take on the Green Knight's challenge. At the story’s end, Arthur joins his nephew in wearing a green girdle on his arm, showing that Gawain’s trial has taught him about his own fallibility.

Bertilak de Hautdessert: The sturdy, good-natured lord of the castle where Gawain spends Christmas; associated with the natural world but also with the courtly behavior of an aristocratic host. Boisterous, powerful, brave, and generous, Lord Bertilak provides an interesting foil to King Arthur. At the end of the poem we learn that Bertilak and the Green Knight are the same person, magically enchanted by Morgan le Faye for her own designs.

Green Girdle: Gawain's acceptance of this teaches him that though he may be the most chivalrous knight in the land, he is nevertheless human and capable of error; reminds him of his weakness. Gawain curses the girdle as representing cowardice and an excessive love of mortal life. He wears it from then on as a badge of his sinfulness.

Green Chapel: the place where Gawain must meet the Green Knight a year later to offer his own head in the challenge.

Blank Verse: a type of poetry, distinguished by having a regular meter, but no rhyme.

Sonnet: a fourteen-line poem in iambic pentameter with a carefully patterned rhyme scheme.

St. Thomas Becket: "The Canterbury Tales" is a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral.

Wife of Bath: describes her two “bad” husbands then tells of a knight who rapes a girl and is then judged by Queen Guinevere--what do women want? Women most desire to be in charge of their husbands and lovers.

"Olde Wif": old hag that gives the knight the correct answer that saves his life but forces him to marry her; he is repulsed and wishes her beautiful but lets her choose...she then become beautiful AND good.

Chauntecleer: master of all roosters; has a upsetting dream about being murdered and tells his wife; tells the stories of men who dreamed of murder and then discovered it; later captured by fox but outsmarts him by telling him to boast to his pursuers.

Pertelote: hen that Chauntecleer loves the most; believes his dream is just indigestion and gives him laxatives.

Fabliau: French, comic stories under the influence of the fable; deals realistically and satirically with middle-class or lower-class characters.

Beast Fable: short, simple narrative with speaking animals as characters designed to teach a moral or social truth (Nun's Priest's Tale).

Canterbury Cathedral: one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England.

Sir Lancelot: Arthur's best knight and the commander of his forces; has an affair with Guinevere

Guinevere: Arthur's wife and Lancelot's lover. Guinevere encourages moral and chivalrous behavior from the knights, and she dearly loves and is loved by both Arthur and Lancelot.

Lady of the Lake: lady who give Excalibur to Arthur when he becomes King.

Avalon: is a legendary island featured in the Arthurian legend, famous for its beautiful apples; place where Excalibur was forged.

Wars of the Roses: the civil wars fought in medieval England from 1455 to 1487 between the House of Lancaster and the House of York.

Chivalry: idealized code of conduct for medieval knights, chivalry exalted courage and courtesy in battle, courtesy towards women, generousity to one's inferiors and loyalty to one's lord.

Sir Mordred: notorious traitor who fought King Arthur at the Battle of Camlann, where he was killed and Arthur fatally wounded.

Excalibur: sword of Arthur that he pulled out of the stone, signifying that he would be the mightiest king of his time.

William Caxton: English printer, translator, and publisher; first to introduce a printing press into England.

Battle of Bosworth Field: the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the House of Lancaster and the House of York.

Henry VIII: his role in the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church; establishing himself as the Supreme Head of the Church of England; had six wives—two of whom he had beheaded

English Reformation: started in the reign of Henry VIII. The English Reformation was to have far reaching consequences in Tudor England. Henry VIII decided to rid himself of his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, after she had failed to produce a male heir to the throne. He had already decided who his next wife would be - Anne Boleyn. The Roman Catholic Church would not allow it, so he created the Church of England, which broke away from the authority of the pope.

Fall of Constantinople: the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire which occurred after a siege laid by the Ottoman Empire, under the command of Sultan Mehmed II.

Elizabeth I: Queen of England and Ireland between 1558 and 1603. She was an absolute monarch and is considered to be one of the most successful rulers of all time; restored Protestantism.

Armada: the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England.

Spenserian Stanza: a stanza with eight lines of iambic pentameter and a concluding Alexandrine with the rhyme pattern abab bcbc c; "the Spenserian stanza was introduced by Edmund Spenser in The Faerie Queene"

Redcrosse Knight: "holiness"; must find "truth" (Una); On another level, though, he is the individual Christian fighting against evil--or the Protestant fighting the Catholic Church. For a Christian to be holy, he must have true faith, and so the plot of Book I mostly concerns the attempts of evildoers to separate Redcrosse from Una; he must defeat villains who mimic the falsehood of the Roman Church.

Una: "truth" Redcrosse's future wife;. She is meek, humble, and beautiful, but strong when it is necessary; she represents Truth, which Redcrosse must find in order to be a true Christian; Elizabeth(?)

Archimago: Archimago is a sorcerer capable of changing his own appearance or that of others; in the end, his magic is proven weak and ineffective; represents "false hope"--impersonates Redcrosse to Una.

Error: Ignoring her warnings, Redcrosse enters and is attacked by the terrible beast, Error, and her young. She wraps him up in her tail, but he eventually manages to strangle her and chops off her head. Error's young then drink her blood until they burst and die. "Her vomit full of bookes and papers was (I.i.20)." These papers represent Roman Catholic propaganda that was put out in Spenser's time, against Queen Elizabeth and Anglicanism.

Duessa/Fidessa: "sensuality", "falsehood"; 2-faced; a witch; whore of Babylon; the opposite of Una, she represents falsehood and nearly succeeds in getting Redcrosse to leave Una for good. She appears beautiful, but it is only skin-deep;

Lady Pride: Lucifera, pulled by six beasts representing the other deadly sins.

Despair: a gloomy old man; he causes Terwin to kill himself and Redcrosse wants to have revenge; argues that death brings an end to sin so its good; knows of Redcrosse's sins and almost persuades him to take his own life until Una steps in and pulls him out. The truth of God's mercy is greater than despair, not the strength of the lion.

Dragon: "all evil in the world"; has impenetrable scales; Well of Life saves Redcrosse when Dragon almost burns him; killed when sword is thrust into his throat.

Catchword: a word printed at the top of the page of a dictionary or other reference book to indicate the first or last item on that page

Chain Lines: Watermark-like lines perpendicular to laid lines in a sheet of hand-made or laid paper.

Incunabula: a book, or even a single sheet of text, that was printed--not handwritten--before the year 1501 in Europe

Manuscript: the form of a literary work submitted for publication; handwritten book or document

Vellum: mammal skin prepared for writing or printing on, to produce single pages, scrolls, codices or books.