The mood of Evelina shits dramatically over the course of the novel. As Burney satirizes certain aspects of late-18th-century English society (particularly the rigid class hierarchy and unjust gender norms), the book’s mood is generally exaggerated and extreme. When Evelina is happy, the mood of the novel is extremely joyous; when Evelina is embarrassed or distraught, the mood plunges into anxiety and despair.
The mood of the novel has a somewhat classic arc for a coming-of-age novel—Evelina starts the book excited and naïve, faces challenges that lead to struggle and sadness, and ends up joyful once again at the end of the story, this time more mature, grounded, and self-aware.
The following passage concludes the novel and communicates the joyful mood after Evelina marries the kind Lord Orville:
All is over, my dearest Sir, and the fate of your Evelina is decided! This morning, with fearful joy, and trembling gratitude, she united herself for ever with the object of her dearest, her eternal affection. I have time for no more; the chaise now waits which is to conduct me to dear Berry Hill, and to the arms of the best of men.
Compare this moment to earlier in the novel, when Evelina receives an insulting letter that she believes has been written by Lord Orville but was actually penned by Sir Clement:
Indeed I fear I was in greater danger than I apprehended, or can now think of without trembling,—for oh, if this weak heart of mine had been penetrated with too deep an impression of his merit,—my peace and happiness had been lost for ever!
Both of these passages capture Evelina’s extreme mood shifts—in both she mentions “fear” and “trembling,” but in the first it is because of her joy and in the second it is because of her concern. Readers experience these extreme mood shifts alongside the primary narrator.
The mood of Evelina shits dramatically over the course of the novel. As Burney satirizes certain aspects of late-18th-century English society (particularly the rigid class hierarchy and unjust gender norms), the book’s mood is generally exaggerated and extreme. When Evelina is happy, the mood of the novel is extremely joyous; when Evelina is embarrassed or distraught, the mood plunges into anxiety and despair.
The mood of the novel has a somewhat classic arc for a coming-of-age novel—Evelina starts the book excited and naïve, faces challenges that lead to struggle and sadness, and ends up joyful once again at the end of the story, this time more mature, grounded, and self-aware.
The following passage concludes the novel and communicates the joyful mood after Evelina marries the kind Lord Orville:
All is over, my dearest Sir, and the fate of your Evelina is decided! This morning, with fearful joy, and trembling gratitude, she united herself for ever with the object of her dearest, her eternal affection. I have time for no more; the chaise now waits which is to conduct me to dear Berry Hill, and to the arms of the best of men.
Compare this moment to earlier in the novel, when Evelina receives an insulting letter that she believes has been written by Lord Orville but was actually penned by Sir Clement:
Indeed I fear I was in greater danger than I apprehended, or can now think of without trembling,—for oh, if this weak heart of mine had been penetrated with too deep an impression of his merit,—my peace and happiness had been lost for ever!
Both of these passages capture Evelina’s extreme mood shifts—in both she mentions “fear” and “trembling,” but in the first it is because of her joy and in the second it is because of her concern. Readers experience these extreme mood shifts alongside the primary narrator.
