English Society In Frances Burney's Female Bildungsroman Novel

Decent Essays
In female bildungsroman novels, the idea of a female protagonist navigating the perilous social terrain of high English society is a social entrance into a complex world. While there is an expectation that the young woman will flourish away from the protective environment of her childhood, there is a greater emphasis on the woman to attain a sense of maturity and a secure a proposal of marriage in her social entrance. This is an idea that is interwoven seamlessly into the narrative of Frances Burney’s Evelina. In Evelina, the titular protagonist makes a social entrance into English society that results in a happy marriage, yet the degree of success in Evelina’s entrance into the social sphere is still a matter of debate. By analyzing Evelina’s …show more content…
As she takes the social stage for the first time, Evelina not only forgets the vital “rules of assembly” (27), but is also “seized with a fit of laughter” (29) that is inappropriate and quickly identifies her as a “country parson’s daughter” (29) to the English aristocracy. This is significant because it indicates that Evelina, in her “unfortunate connections” (165), does not truly grasp the “peculiar cruelty of her situation” (14) and realize that she cannot afford to squander her social engagements with the aristocracy. However, it is significant that Evelina not only manages to “affront” (29) Mr. Lovel, but also depicts herself to be either “ignorant or mischievous” (29) to her future husband, Lord Orville. These initial impressions that Evelina 's rash behaviour elicits are important in itself because it suggests Evelina’s charm does not reside in her ability to converse or uphold social codes, but in her “perfect face” (16). Subsequently, Evelina’s beauty deflects the accusations of “ill-breeding” (29) that plague her because her “elegant face” (29) is perceived to be “never be so vile a mask” (29) to the aristocracy of London. However, these mishaps at the same social event are not merely coincidental, but indicate that Evelina is woefully unprepared for her social entrance into English society and …show more content…
Evelina, unlike Madame Duval, refuses to command the public sphere. Like in the aforementioned incident with Sir Clement Willoughby, the incident with Mr. Macartney takes place in a space of intimacy and privacy — “his room” (150). However, with no other witnesses in the immediate vicinity, Evelina displays more “strength and courage” (150) in this moment than she does in any of her prior social engagements in the public sphere. While Evelina is “delighted beyond expression…that [she] [has] happily been the instrument of saving a human creature from destruction” (150) and is able to instil in Mr. Macartney a “most profound respect and heart-felt gratitude” (193) for her, she is interacting on a private sphere and, albeit unwittingly, with a member of her own immediate family. Consequently, the private incidents with Sir Clement and Mr. Macartney demonstrate that Evelina is unable to confidently engage in the public sphere of English life, but only in the privacy that is offered in the private sphere, which she is familiar with from living in the countryside. Furthermore, as Evelina has a “great dislike of such parties” (160) and finds that London “grows tiresome” (30), this indicates that Evelina delight stems from her feeling more comfortable in situations —

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