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 she has married Lord Orville. She is blissfully happy and can only write a quick note, as their carriage waits outside to take them to Berry Hill, where they will stay for a month. She cannot wait to be reunited with Mr. Villars, whom she calls the “best of men,” after her long time spent away from him out in the world.
Berry Hill, Evelina’s childhood home, symbolizes her innocent and inexperience. Evelina’s triumphant return to Berry Hill with her new husband reflects the idea that Evelina has successfully gone out into the world to gain experience. She has navigated upper-class society and achieved the ultimate goal for a young woman in this period (finding a good husband). Evelina can now return to her childhood home, unspoiled by her experiences but changed for the better by them.
Themes
Literary Devices
