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 Maria and complains that, although she enjoyed her first trip to London, the city seems gloomy now. Her companions also seem common and vulgar. It seems like a dream when Evelina thinks back to her time spent in London with the Mirvans and with Lord Orville, who was so charming, refined, and considerate compared to the Branghtons and Madame Duval. Evelina hopes that she will not meet any of Mrs. Mirvan’s acquaintances in town, as they might recognize her and wonder why she is with rude, ill-mannered people.
Unlike the upper-class Mirvans, the Branghtons are middle-class and are not educated in etiquette, which was extremely important in fashionable 18th-century society. Although Evelina is uneducated in etiquette too, she is naturally sensible (empathetic, emotionally sensitive, and considerate). Therefore, she’s more well-mannered than the Branghtons, who do not care about other people and therefore do not notice when they are being rude or inappropriate.
Themes
Literary Devices
