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Evelina

Stephanie Peacock

Ms. Kane

Literature 11: Junior Thesis

29 January 2008

Junior Thesis

Prior the 19th Century, men dominated the literary writings of the day, while women published few influential works. However, in the 19th Century, women began to publish their works more freely, even if anonymously, and included some real masterpieces, such as Francis Burney’s Evelina and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. While some at the time may have considered such books to be just another frivolous read, in reality, these works actually proved to be an enlightening window of the era. They portray the life, the society, and the common expectations of a lady living in the Middle Class in the 1800’s, a gateway literary century for women.
In Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the main character, Elizabeth Bennet, is the second of five daughter of a gentleman. Burney’s Evelina is the only daughter of Sir Belmont, but raised by a Reverend Villars. Her true connection is not revealed to the general reader until the middle of the Evelina. Even though Elizabeth and Evelina are in the same social status, they are hardly equal, as there are varying levels of the middle class. Elizabeth Bennet, being a legitimate daughter, is one tier in the social ladder above Evelina. In addition, Austen and Burney use of humor and conclusion in the novels to subtly change the notion of what constitutes a lady without being preachy or cliché. Austen and Burney dramatize the differences between the traditional ideal of the lady and the non-traditional lady that their protagonists exhibit. To picture the “new lady”, the authors use the protagonists’ interaction with their family members, friends, towns people and lovers.
In Pride and Prejudice the social interactions between Elizabeth, her neighbors, and acquaintances are centered on the formality and...