Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Coquette, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Women and Society
Sex and Virtue
Marriage and Social Mobility
Friendship
Summary
Analysis
“Sir,” writes Eliza to Boyer, “I congratulate you on your agreeable settlement, and hope it will be productive of real and lasting happiness.” She tells Boyer that she has enjoyed meeting his friend, Mr. Selby, and that they will be joining him soon for dinner. She expresses some excitement for her upcoming social engagements and asks Boyer if her “sprightly disposition” is, in his opinion, “indicative of a giddy mind, or an innocent heart.” Eliza closes her letter by wishing him “health and happiness.”
Eliza’s opening of “Sir” places her immediately at a distance. This rather stuffy beginning makes her relationship to Boyer seem formal or businesslike, and it doesn’t impart any affection or romance. Eliza also hints at her coquetry, or “sprightly disposition,” and off-handedly questions if he too considers it a mark upon her morals, or if he believes her behavior to be as “innocent” as she does.
Themes
