Book Review of Evelina by Fanny Burney
Name of Book: Evelina Author: Fanny Burney ISBN: 0-19-281596-2 Publisher: Oxford World's Classics Type of book: society, 1777-1778, Britain, orphan, manners, country, diversions, company Year it was published: 1778 Summary: Evelina, the first of Burney's novels, was published anonymously and brough her immediate fame. It tells the story of a young girl, fresh from the provinces, whose initiation into the ways of hte world is frequently painful, though it leads to self-discovery, moral growth, and, finally, happiness. Hilarious comedy and moral gravity make the novel a fund of entertainment and wisdom. Out of the graceful shifts from the idyllic to the near-tragic and realistic, Evelina emerges as a fully realized character. And out of its treatment of contrasts- the peace of the countryside and the cultured and social excitement of London and Bristol, the crows od life-like vulgarians and the elegant gentry- the novel reveals superbly the life and temper of e...