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 and tells him that one morning, when she and Mrs. Selwyn were out walking, they bumped into Lord Merton and his friends. Lord Merton approaches Evelina and says that he searched all over London for her. Evelina is embarrassed, and Lord Merton says that he is glad to have found her and that he will enjoy being in Bristol more now that she is here—the place can “go to the devil without her,” he says. Mrs. Selwyn says that Lord Merton likely will meet the devil one day, since he is a nobleman and, therefore, highly corrupt.
Like Sir Clement, Lord Merton flirts with Evelina and does not care that this may damage her reputation. In 18th-century Britain, innocent women were often blamed if men flirted with them or accused them of sexual behavior. Mrs. Selwyn suggests that nobles are often corrupt and immoral, even though 18th-century society generally conflated nobility with virtue.
Themes
Lord Merton is indifferent to Mrs. Selwyn’s sarcasm and asks Evelina where she will be that evening. Mrs. Selwyn replies that Evelina will stay in and reading. Lord Merton rudely asks Evelina if Mrs. Selwyn is her mother and then says that he does not know why women over 30 bother to exist. Lord Merton’s friend, Mr. Coverley, then tries to distract Mrs. Selwyn, while Lord Merton pesters Evelina.
Lord Merton preys upon Evelina because she is young and, he suspects, naïve. Unmarried women were often objectified and commodified during this time—and men often married them solely for their fortunes. People consider older women like Mrs. Selwyn irrelevant, because they are not enticing to men and therefore lacked social value.
Themes
Mrs. Selwyn swiftly leads Evelina away, and they lose Lord Merton in the crowd. Later that day, Mrs. Selwyn asks a shopkeeper about Lord Merton, and the shopkeeper replies that Lord Merton is a renowned “libertine,” but that he claims to be reformed. He is engaged to Lady Louisa Larpent, Lord Orville’s sister, although Lord Orville dislikes him. The shopkeeper says that Lord Orville will be in Bristol in a few days and that he will stay with Mrs. Beaumont, whom Mrs. Selwyn knows well. Evelina is shocked and disconcerted at this news, as she knows that she cannot avoid seeing Lord Orville.
The term “libertine” refers to a debauched nobleman who lives a life of drinking, seducing women, and fighting duels. This supports Burney’s argument that, although 18th-century British society considered nobility to be synonymous with virtue, this was often not the case. Premarital sex was considered sinful in this period, and Lord Merton’s claim that he is “reformed” supports the idea that he will no longer have “sinful” sex outside his marriage. Being reformed was a luxury which only applied to men, however, because if anyone accused a woman of premarital sex, her reputation would be lastingly destroyed.
Themes
Evelina worries that, when Lord Orville sees her again, he will try to seduce her—as he attempted to do in his letter. She does not understand why Lord Orville would treat her with such contempt when he dislikes men like Lord Merton, who treat women freely and inconsiderately. She supposes that he must be a hypocrite and wishes that she could return to Berry Hill and avoid him.
Evelina assumes that Lord Orville is a hypocrite who hides his true intentions behind a veneer of nobility and politeness. Nobility was often associated with virtue in this period, but debauched noble characters, like Lord Merton, prove that this is not always the case. Similarly, upper-class etiquette was believed to be synonymous with virtue and sensibility (an 18th-century term associated with empathy and consideration of others)—but, again, Lord Merton shows no consideration for Evelina or women in general.
Themes
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