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
Mr. Villars writes to Evelina expressing his regret that she must go stay with Madame Duval in London. However, Mr. Villars says that this will be a good opportunity for Evelina to learn to judge situations for herself. No matter what Madame Duval says, Evelina must not involve herself in any improper situations that could ruin her reputation. Mr. Villars cautions Evelina that women’s reputations are extremely delicate, and that Evelina should not mix with Madame Duval’s acquaintances, who might threaten her good name.
Mr. Villars is a wise parental figure to Evelina: he knows that although he wants to protect her, he must allow her to gain maturity through her own experience. He allows her the chance to put the moral lessons he taught her as a child into practice. However, given Mr. Villars’s experience with Caroline, he also recognizes that women who break—or are merely suspected of breaking—society’s strict moral codes struggle to redeem themselves and are often socially ostracized.
Themes
Literary Devices
