Lecherous and feckless men were part and parcel of Burney's Evelina April saw the Tyneside Book Club plunge into the early days of the novel as we tackled Frances Burney's Evelina.
First published in 1778, it centres on 17-year-old Evelina and her entry into society; the battle to get her father to acknowledge her, and to find a suitable match.
Like many early works of fiction, It is written in epistolary form and this led to much discussion among members about whether that restricted the novel. Some felt the exchange of letters restricted the author's ability to draw a full picture of all the characters. It did make it easier to read in smaller, more digestible chunks, but meant it was harder to get inside the head of some of the characters.
There was enjoyment of the social satire and the insight the novel gave into 18th Century etiquette. It did seem a convincing portrait of a very sheltered 17-year-old's attempt to carve her way in the world, even if that made Evelina a little naive and priggish at times.
It also exposed how vulnerable single women, particularly those of limited means, were to predatory men at the time. Evelina is relentless pursued, and has few ways of protecting herself. The best sections of the book also dealt with the class delineations of the time through its focus on the Branghtons inferior status.
There were some good comedic moments and there were clear signs of how influential Burney and Evelina had been on Jane Austen and subsequent novelists.
Some members struggled though with the dense and wordy prose, and failed to be engaged by the characters. Plot just took too long to execute, and it became a chore to read rather than a pleasure. There were a few who gave up before the finish.
And even members who appreciated the book struggled a little to find much to like about the male characters. Some were meant to be awful, but the main love interest Lord Orville also seemed a little insipid and uninspiring, particularly compared to Austen's heroes. That may have been intentional, but it made it harder to care about the outcome.
For some this was a book that failed to communicate across the centuries but others did get enjoyment from tackling an historically-important work that otherwise they might never have read.
First published in 1778, it centres on 17-year-old Evelina and her entry into society; the battle to get her father to acknowledge her, and to find a suitable match.
Like many early works of fiction, It is written in epistolary form and this led to much discussion among members about whether that restricted the novel. Some felt the exchange of letters restricted the author's ability to draw a full picture of all the characters. It did make it easier to read in smaller, more digestible chunks, but meant it was harder to get inside the head of some of the characters.
There was enjoyment of the social satire and the insight the novel gave into 18th Century etiquette. It did seem a convincing portrait of a very sheltered 17-year-old's attempt to carve her way in the world, even if that made Evelina a little naive and priggish at times.
It also exposed how vulnerable single women, particularly those of limited means, were to predatory men at the time. Evelina is relentless pursued, and has few ways of protecting herself. The best sections of the book also dealt with the class delineations of the time through its focus on the Branghtons inferior status.
There were some good comedic moments and there were clear signs of how influential Burney and Evelina had been on Jane Austen and subsequent novelists.
Some members struggled though with the dense and wordy prose, and failed to be engaged by the characters. Plot just took too long to execute, and it became a chore to read rather than a pleasure. There were a few who gave up before the finish.
And even members who appreciated the book struggled a little to find much to like about the male characters. Some were meant to be awful, but the main love interest Lord Orville also seemed a little insipid and uninspiring, particularly compared to Austen's heroes. That may have been intentional, but it made it harder to care about the outcome.
For some this was a book that failed to communicate across the centuries but others did get enjoyment from tackling an historically-important work that otherwise they might never have read.
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