Evelina (Oxford World's Classics)
by Frances Burney
List Price:
Our Price: $5.99
You Save: $6.96 (54%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $4.50 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Frances BurneyEditor: Edward A. Bloom
Introduction: Vivien Jones
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-12-15
ISBN: 0199536937
Number of pages: 512
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Book Reviews of Evelina (Oxford World's Classics)
Book Review: A cute piece of quaint old lace
Summary: 4 Stars
Evelina, Frances Burney's first novel, was a best-seller in the 18th century and an important precursor to the romance genre. Evelina was a demure girl with a noble but complicated background brought up in the country by a kindly Reverend Villars. The story, told through a series of letters, evolves around her introduction into London society.
Burney's fame being quite buried in modern times, I didn't know what to expect at first. But I was pleasantly surprised by her refreshing style and good humor. Of course, our heroine is a dazzlingly beautiful ingénue with the cutest ignorance of social convention, and by the appearance of the nth ardent admirer, this reader started to feel impatient. Fortunately, the epistolary form helped curb further annoyance; as most letters were written by Evelina herself to Mr. Villars, her maiden modesty saved readers from excessive praise of the heroine. It is true that all characters were two-dimensional, but Evelina was such a sweet girl, and Lord Orville was such a nice gentleman, that the reader can only smile upon them with an understanding indulgence. And Lord Orville's early comment of Evelina being "a poor weak girl" sets a shining example for his famous successor in Pride and Prejudice.
The story was well-paced and flowed with ease, proving the strength of Burney's literary muscles. Despite writing light, she was able to embed witty social satire into the story. You get humorous caricatures of various human archetypes universal to any society, all mixed together with good chemistry: the ugly fop, the vulgar captain, the cunning rake, the embarrassing relatives... Burney knew the world. I was surprised by how daring she was in incorporating some "shocking" elements and how she managed to accomplish it without feeling out of place. Evelina certainly went through much crazier adventures than Elizabeth Bennet or other romantic heroines: a near-rape, a frightful robbery, a lone encounter with rascals and "indecent women"... all went to show how helpless a young lady was back then. Evelina displayed endearing mental independence for her age, but Burney was wise enough not to go overboard - the girl did make social blunders, show unconscious signs of infatuation, and suffer coming-of-age confusion. The ending wrapped up loose strings neatly and our heroine lived happily ever after, but you knew all along everything will be okay, right?
All in all, Evelina is an effortless delight that deserves wider popularity. I wonder why there has been no screen adaption of this charming novel.
Classics Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Classics Books
Native sonby Richard Wright
Perennial Library; Published: 1987; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.75
Native Son: And How Bigger Was Bornby Richard Wright
Perennial; Published: 1993-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $26.82
Raphael and the Noble Taskby Catherine Salton
Harper; Published: 2000-10-24; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.49
Price in other shops:
Island (Perennial Classics)by Aldous Huxley
Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Published: 2002-07-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops:
A Tree Grows in Brooklynby Betty Smith
Harper; Published: 2001-11-13; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.73
Price in other shops:
The Great Divorce CDby C. S. Lewis
HarperAudio; Published: 2003-11-25; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $12.64
Price in other shops:
Great Expectationsby Charles Dickens
Macmillan Pub Co; Published: 1979-06; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
This Side of Paradiseby Fitzgerald
Scribner Paper Fiction; Published: 1988-09-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.95
Price in other shops:
Black Coffee (Poirot)by Agatha Christie
Harper Collins Pb; Published: 2002-12-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $68.32
Slouching Towards Bethlehem (1960s)by Joan Didion
Flamingo; Published: 2001-04-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $22.25
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Mansfield Park (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)by Jane Austen
Barnes & Noble Classics; Published: 2005-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.47
Price in other shops:
Oroonoko (Penguin Classics)by Aphra Behn
Penguin Classics; Published: 2004-05-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.79
Price in other shops:
Pamela: Or, Virtue Rewarded (Penguin Classics)by Samuel Richardson
Penguin Classics; Published: 1981-02-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.29
Price in other shops:
Northanger Abbey, Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon (Oxford World's Classics)by Jane Austen, Claudia L. Johnson
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2008-05-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.83
Price in other shops:
Love in Excess (Broadview Literary Text)by Eliza Haywood
Broadview Press; Published: 2000-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.50
Price in other shops:
The Castle of Otranto: A Gothic Story (Oxford World's Classics)by Horace Walpole
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2009-01-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.43
Price in other shops:
Joseph Andrews and Shamela (Penguin Classics)by Henry Fielding
Penguin Books; Published: 1999-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.50
Price in other shops:
Joseph Andrews and Shamela (Oxford World's Classics)by Henry Fielding
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2008-11-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.58
Price in other shops:
Robinson Crusoe (Norton Critical Editions)by Daniel Defoe
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 1993-12-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.61
The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (Oxford World's Classics)by Laurence Sterne
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2009-12-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.50
Price in other shops: