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 to tell him about the bet between Lord Merton and Mr. Coverley, which was settled the day before. Lord Merton came to the house early to get ready and found Evelina alone in the parlor. Seizing his chance, Lord Merton tries to seduce Evelina, but she is disgusted and sends him away. After dinner, the group gathers on the lawn, where the two old ladies—whom Lord Merton and Mr. Coverley have hired to race for them to settle a bet—are waiting. Although the others think this is funny, Evelina feels sorry for them, as they look frail and confused. She notices, too, that Lord Orville does not laugh with the others.
In 18th-century Britain, people often believed that nobility and virtue were the same thing. However, Lord Merton is a noble and is not virtuous. He tries to seduce Evelina even though he has a fiancée, and he doesn’t give any thought to Evelina’s reputation, which could be irreparably damaged if anyone found out. Additional, Lord Merton and Mr. Lovel show themselves to be misogynistic, as they treat the two old women they have hired as things, rather than people, that they can use to settle a wager.
Themes
Lord Merton announces the race’s start, and the two old women try to run. They crash into each other, however, and fall, hurting themselves. Evelina tries to help the women, but Mr. Coverley and Lord Merton swear at the women and make them run again. At last, it is settled that Lord Merton’s old woman wins. Lord Merton gloats over this and gets drunk. While inebriated, he again pesters Evelina and drunkenly says she is the “best young woman” present. Evelina tries to get away from him, and Mrs. Selwyn eventually intervenes.
Lord Merton and Mr. Lovel display no sensibility (an 18th-century term that meant empathy or kindness) toward the old women—instead, they treat them as objects that they can use how they like, because they paid for them. This demonstrates how women were often commodified in this period, and how this commodification was dehumanizing and often led to women being abused. Women also had few rights and were unable to earn their own money. They, therefore, relied on finding a wealthy husband to support them. Lord Merton demonstrates how this situation leads to women being pitted against each other, as he names Evelina the best compared to the others and thus pits Louis and Evelina in competition with each other.
Themes
Lord Orville offers to take Evelina inside; Louisa takes offense to this and is very moody about it. Once inside, Lord Orville apologizes that he didn’t protect Evelina from Lord Merton and says that he considers her to be someone he should protect. Evelina complains that everyone else at Clifton Hill ignores or disrespects her, and Lord Orville gallantly promises that he will always be her friend.
Louisa looks down on Evelina because she believes that Evelina is not noble. This suggests that, although nobility was associated with virtue in this era, this was not always the case. Lord Orville, in contrast, is truly sensible: he treats Evelina as an equal regardless of class and considers Evelina’s feelings.
Themes
