Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Evelina: or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Sensibility, Etiquette, and Appearances
Gender, Reputation, and Marriage
Inheritance, Class, and Nobility
Innocence, Guidance, and Experience
Summary
Analysis
Evelina writes to Mr. Villars to tell him that she is very alarmed. One evening at Howard Grove, Madame Duval called her into her room and told Evelina that she had a surprise for her. Madame Duval said that she’d often lamented that Evelina was raised so poor and has no knowledge of the world—especially when Evelina is a noblewoman by birth. Madame Duval devised a plan to prove that Evelina is the nobleman Sir John Belmont’s daughter and to secure his inheritance for her.
Eighteenth-century Britain was strictly organized around class. Evelina was born into the nobility—her father, Sir John, is a nobleman—but she has been raised middle-class by Mr. Villars. Her identity is not well-known because Sir John denies his relation to her. Although Madame Duval has married into the nobility, she is lower-class by birth and is portrayed as a social climber—she wants to help Evelina improve her social status so that she can also improve her own.
Themes
Madame Duval says that once Evelina has claimed her rightful place as Sir John Belmont’s heir, Madame Duval will take her to Paris, where Evelina will mingle with many great people and receive an education in manners. Madame Duval will also find someone equally wealthy and powerful for Evelina to marry. Madame Duval speculates that once people know she is related to Evelina—who will be a great lady—nobody will be bold enough to push her around.
Eighteenth-century European society was preoccupied with etiquette, or manners, and English etiquette differed significantly from French. Throughout the novel, Madame Duval claims that French manners are better than English ones and wants Evelina to be educated in France. (Evelina does not understand etiquette because she was raised in the country rather than the fashionable city.) However, the fact that these two countries have different rules suggests that, in many ways, etiquette is based on arbitrary conventions and does not signify true virtue. Madame Duval, for instance, is knowledgeable about French etiquette but is a rude, selfish, and manipulative person. She only want to help Evelina to improve her own social standing.
Themes
Evelina is upset by Madame Duval’s scheme to track down Sir John and demand Evelina’s inheritance. She’s also offended by the blunt way in which Madame Duval talks about Evelina’s private affairs. Mrs. Mirvan later tells Evelina that Madame Duval got the idea from Evelina’s cousins, the Branghtons, who sent a letter suggesting that Evelina should sue Sir John and claim her fortune. Evelina thinks it is disgraceful that the Branghtons, whom she hardly knows, should try to meddle in her affairs.
Madame Duval lacks sensibility (an 18th-century term meaning empathy or consideration for others) and does not consider that this subject may be painful for Evelina. Furthermore, Madame Duval and the Branghtons do not seek to help Evelina for her sake but to improve their own social status as her relatives. Eighteenth-century Britain was strictly organized around class, and social mobility was almost impossible. Madame Duval (who married a noble but is not considered true nobility) and the Branghtons (who are middle-class) hope to improve their own social status through their connection to Evelina.
Themes
To her surprise, Evelina finds that Lady Howard is not entirely against the idea of contacting Evelina’s father, Sir John, and trying to secure Evelina’s inheritance. Evelina does not know what to think. She does not hope to become a great lady, nor does she fear losing her inheritance, because she has been so fortunate in other ways. At the same time, however, she sometimes feels hurt that her father has never taken an interest in her.
Upper-class women in the 18th century could not earn their own money and had to rely on their father’s inheritance, or their husband’s wealth, to lead a comfortable life. Evelina trusts Lady Howard’s guidance because she’s Mr. Villars’s close friend, and Evelina trusts Mr. Villars’s judgement. Unlike many other characters, Evelina is genuine and virtuous: she’s content with her lot in life and does not aspire to improve her social status.
Themes
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