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
The next morning, Evelina plans to meet Lord Orville in the garden to show him the flirtatious note that he says he did not write but that was sent to Evelina in his name. On the way, however, Evelina meets Sir Clement, who snatches the note from her. Sir Clement asks how Evelina can care for Lord Orville when he writes these things to her. Evelina replies that she loves Lord Orville, and Sir Clement rips up the letter. Sir Clement seizes Evelina and says that Lord Orville’s deceitful façade has fooled her.
Although nobility was associated with virtue in this period, Sir Clement—who is a nobleman—behaves aggressively toward Evelina and does not care that he potentially frightens her and risks her reputation. At this time, innocent women were often blamed for men’s violent or flirtatious behavior toward them.
Themes
Mrs. Beaumont and Louisa enter the room, and Sir Clement rushes away and storms from the house. Evelina guesses that Sir Clement wrote the insulting letter himself and pretended it was from Lord Orville. She feels sorry for Sir Clement because he was so distressed, but she does not want to see him again. Mrs. Selwyn, Mr. Lovel, Mr. Coverley, and Lord Merton enter the room, and Mrs. Selwyn says that she has just seen Sir Clement on the stairs and that he rudely rushed past her.
Sir Clement hides his deceitful and callous nature behind his noble veneer (nobility was associated with virtue in this period), but this façade crumbles when he loses his temper with Evelina. She finally realizes that Sir Clement wrote her the insulting and flirtatious note to her and tried to frame Lord Orville for it. Evelina demonstrates her innate sensibility (an 18th-century term associated with empathy and kindness), as she still feels sorry for Sir Clement even though he has insulted and betrayed her.
Themes
Lord Merton asks Louisa if she will walk with him in the garden, but Louisa says that her nerves are too delicate. Lord Merton says that he likes delicacy in a woman and looks maliciously at Mrs. Selwyn, who replies that she feels sorry for women since they must choose a husband who is more intelligent than them from a selection of idiots. During this exchange, Evelina sneaks out of the room.
Sensibility was extremely fashionable in 18th-century Britain, and many people considered it an ideal feminine trait. Mrs. Selwyn defies convention, as she refuses to pretend to act stereotypically feminine when she is not. Mrs. Selwyn’s comment about marriage is a satirical critique about 18th-century patriarchal conventions, which dictated that a young woman’s only goal in life was marriage.
Themes
When Evelina is alone, a servant enters and says that Mr. Macartney has come to see her. Evelina asks Macartney if he has spoken to his father, Sir John, and Macartney replies that Sir John is in Bristol. Sir John still despises Macartney, however, because Macartney fell in love with his daughter, Miss Belmont, before he knew that she was his sister. Evelina then tells Macartney that Sir John is also her father and that she, too, is his sister. Thrilled, Macartney joyfully embraces her.
Sir John has lived a debauched and immoral life and has clearly seduced and impregnated many women without marrying them. This is suggested by the fact that Evelina, Macartney, and Miss Belmont all seem to have different mothers, and yet they’re all Sir John’s children. This supports Burney’s ongoing argument that nobility does not always signify virtue.
Themes
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Lord Orville enters the room and tells Evelina that Mrs. Selwyn’s carriage is waiting to take Evelina to London. Lord Orville greets Mr. Macartney coldly, but Evelina explains that Macartney is her brother, and Lord Orville is delighted. Mrs. Selwyn enters the room and Evelina tells her that Sir John is in Bristol. Mrs. Selwyn writes a note to him and asks if she may visit him that day. Sir John replies that Mrs. Selwyn may visit, and she immediately sets off.
Lord Orville is concerned by Evelina’s connection with Macartney until he discovers that Macartney is her brother. Lord Orville has Evelina’s best interests in mind and, although he wants to allow her freedom to make her choices, he worries that young men like Macartney may want to seduce Evelina or take advantage of her innocence.
Themes
Mrs. Selwyn returns and describes her visit to Sir John. Evelina is amazed to learn that Sir John Belmont claims to already have a daughter whose mother was Caroline Belmont and who has been raised in a convent in France. He sent Mrs. Selwyn away and had no interest in hearing her ridiculous tale. Evelina feels ashamed and rejected and does not understand how this has happened. She goes to her room and bursts into tears.
Evelina is Sir John’s rightful heir because he and Caroline were married—even though Sir John denies the marriage—when Evelina was conceived. If people believe that Sir John has another daughter—Miss Belmont—with Caroline, people will think that Caroline is not Evelina’s mother. This would mean that Evelina would always be considered illegitimate and she would never inherit her rightful place.
Themes
Lord Orville follows Evelina to her room and begs her to confide in him. Evelina cannot explain, so Lord Orville comforts her and then goes to speak with Mrs. Selwyn. Mrs. Selwyn then visits Evelina’s room and tells her that she has told Lord Orville everything about Evelina’s history—that her father, Sir John, denied his marriage to her mother, Caroline, and does not accept Evelina as his daughter. Lord Orville wishes to marry Evelina straightaway, although Mrs. Selwyn says that many men would be put off by her family status.
Evelina worries that if Lord Orville thinks she is illegitimate, he will not want to marry her. People considered illegitimate children to be unworthy and inferior in this period, and a prestigious nobleman like Lord Orville is unlikely to marry someone illegitimate. Lord Orville proves Evelina wrong, however: he loves her for who she is, not for her status or family connections—a rarity in an 18th-century marriage.
Themes
Mrs. Selwyn says that she and Evelina should visit Sir John again tomorrow and try and convince him that she is his daughter. Evelina is anxious about this but reluctantly agrees. After dinner, she and Lord Orville walk in the garden, and Lord Orville asks Evelina if she thinks Mr. Villars will approve of their marriage. Evelina assures him that he will, as Mr. Villars loves her very much and wants her to be happy.
It is vital that Evelina convinces Sir John she is his daughter. If she cannot, her reputation and inheritance will be compromised. Although Sir John did marry Evelina’s mother, Caroline, before Evelina was conceived, Sir John denies this—and people believe him over Caroline. People, therefore, consider Evelina illegitimate, meaning that she will never occupy her true noble rank or receive her rightful inheritance.
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