The Eighteenth century era can often be described as an early transition between the renaissance periods where gender relations where slowly beginning to change. The story, Evelina takes the readers through a journey of a young lady named Evelina . Evelina is often compared to a black canvas, ready to be filled with knowledge but lacks understanding of the social norms expected of men and women. However, despite the slight improvement in gender relations, we can still spot a sense of patriarchal structure and ways of thinking and how women are perceived negatively in comparison to men. This is clearly proven in Frances Burney’s Evelina. The character Evelina , is often perceived as a someone who has never experienced the world according to male characters such as Mr Villars . In this essay , I will be discussing these ideas and how this is relevant to eighteenth century society. I shall also be discussing how this text reflects the life of Frances Burney.
Before we get to the main points, it is believed that it is important to mention Frances Burney published Evelina at the age of 26 and was considered a spinster. Despite this, she was on the brink of becoming an old maid. (One of the most problematic and vulnerable roles for eighteenth century women). As well as this, Burney grew up in a middle class society which offered very few options “for personal power ,self-assertation, or social importance outside the domestic sphere.”(Straub,1986:p 230). This is clearly reflected in Evelina. However, for Burney, even though eighteenth century discouraged women to participate in literary culture it did not stop Burney writing novels. It is stated that “a steep and steady rise’’ in female authorship from the mid century mark onward and concludes that ‘‘an equally obvious fact’’ about the period’s literary culture is that, despite the obstacles, ‘‘large numbers of women partici- pated in that culture anyway.” ( Pino, 2010: p266).
To begin with, eighteenth century women were expected to dress in a decent manner in order to impress others. In Evelina’s case, her guardian , Mr Villars encourages Evelina to preserve her modesty. Her guardian , Mr Villars states “ remember , my dear Evelina, nothing is so delicate as the reputation of a women; it is at once the most beautiful and most brittle of all humans.” (Burney, 1778:p166). This statement made by Mr Villars claims that modesty is a fragile object in which it should be protected at all costs. It also indicates that in order to be a likeable and desirable woman, she must act in accordance to what society considers sensible. This quote highlights the importance of reputation, the family name as well as social standards in the eighteenth century. As well as this, one of the key aspects in a female character is when she ceases to blush , she has lost a powerful part of her beauty. By looking at this quote , we can see that modesty in the eighteenth century was deemed a quality all women must have in order to live well in society. In Burney’s case , or even Evelina’s, we can see that that modesty was the reason both women are able to go out of their way to achieve something of their own.
This statement made previously does not just relate to Evelina’s physical modesty, but it also relates to the reputation of women in the eighteenth century. In addition to this, eighteenth century women were expected to follow a set or rule according to what society
believed as a respectful woman. . These set of rules based on modesty and appearance also relates back to Frances Burney’s life. Burney, at the time of writing or earlier, writing journals or fictions were not believed to be suitable for young women. Hence the reason the novel was first published anonymously in 1778. Also, we begin to realise that Burney’s father was not aware of his daughter’s anonymous novel which was deemed successful by critics due to it’s portrayal of upper class society. We can clearly understand that the reason it was a huge success is not just the portrayal of upper class society but of society in general. The idea that women were not encouraged to pursue careers that were deemed not suitable. The fact that women were considered intellectually inferior but was also the source of evil and temptation to men. This is clearly demonstrated in Evelina.
This links back to Frances Burney’s and the continuous use of reputation. Women like Burney were thought to be weaker than men . In Burney’s case , she would have worked in domestic services and various other trades .
In relation to Evelina’s feminine traits and appearance, we can also see that Evelina is seen as a weak minded woman who lacks experience of the world. However, this does not change that fact that she wants to travel to London all by herself despite the dangers. As mentioned previously, Evelina is eager for knowledge but lacks understanding of social norms. Her guardian, Mr Villars claims that “she (Evelina) is not, indeed, like most modern young ladies; to be known in half an hour; her modest worth, and fearful excellence, require both time and encouragement to show themselves”. ( Burney,1778: p) . This statement clearly suggests that Evelina does not have the mental or physical acquaintance to start travelling on her own. This also implies that middle class women like Evelina are not encouraged by men to go out into the world. However, Mr Villars understands the dangers. This would mean that he may have been trying to protect Evelina from receiving a bad reputation. Having a bad reputation in Evelina’s case would mean that she would not be able to get the respect she deserves from other people as well as not finding a suitable husband. In Burney’s case, reputation would was also important. During the early years of her career, her relationship with her father was deeply affected. He encouraged her writing but did not believe in publishing as it was not appropriate for a lady. This meant that many feminist critics saw her as an author whose “natural talent for satire was stifled by the social pressures exerted on female authors of the age.[35] In spite of setbacks however, Burney persisted in writing.” ( Unknown, )
In addition to the statement made previously, we can also mention that due to her innocence and lack of information, Evelina finds going to the ball for the first time, overwhelming . However , “Rather than lacking awareness about the situation at hand, she lacks information about social propriety in this instance.6 In this respect, her response is spontaneous but not discriminating, intuitively just, but not socially correct”. ( Gray,1990: p46). Clearly, we can see how inexperienced Evelina is in social gatherings to the point where she unintendedly, mocks someone. We can see here how Ignorant Evelina is of the outside world. In this case, she may have come across as being rude . Despite this, she still managed to maintain her innocence.
As we move forwards in the novel, Evelina starts to receive unwanted attention from men. These men include Clement, an obnoxious admirer. . When meeting Evelina , he tortures her when refusing to dance and continues to create bad situations for her. Evelina states “To Sir
Clement, my Lord," said I, "attribute nothing. He is the last man in the world who would have any influence over my conduct.” ( Burney,1778 :p ?). Despite, the lack of education. Evelina is able to recognise the rude behaviours of characters like Sir clement . We, as readers, are also able to recognise that her anxiety and vulnerability “anxiety is partly provoked by physical violence and threats of violence” (Staves, 1976:p 269). This would indicate without women like Evelina would likely be visible to unwanted attention unless she listened to her Guardian and stayed put. Ironically, Evelina ‘s beauty and social status was the reason she started receiving unwanted attention.
However, due to the unwanted attention received by Evelina, this would affect her ability to find a good husband. This would be due to the fact that “ every time she is accidentally separated from her protectors she is addressed with indelicate freedom, pursued, and usually grabbed.” ( Staves, 1976: p 368). She has been given this freedom that she may be unable to comprehend. This links back to the idea that Evelina is built like a black canvas, ready to be filled with knowledge but lacks understanding of the outside world. We also understand that “When disappointed of these handy, dismissive labels, he simply tucks her into the general slot of worthless female maturity: "Whoever she is, I wish she would mind her own affairs: I don't know what the devil a woman lives for after thirty.” (Straub, 1986: p233). This relates back to Burney’s life due to the fact that Evelina somehow parallels with Burney’s own sense of her weak power potential in order for her to grow or gain power. However, it is stated that “Many critics have voiced caution over seeing gender and femaleness as the root and the answer to all inquiry.” (Pino,2010: p264). Overall , we understand that this would affect Evelina’s reputation as a woman.
As mentioned previously, Evelina , is a reflection of women in the eighteenth century. This is especially the case when Lord Merton see Evelina. It is mentioned in the text that “"So would every man in his senses," said Lord Merton, "for a woman wants nothing to recommend her but beauty and good-nature; in everything else she is either impertinent or unnatural . For my part, deuce take me if ever I wish to hear a word of sense from a woman as long as I live!"( Burney,1778:p361). We can clearly see here that eighteenth century women are reduced to their physical modesty. Lord Merton clearly has traditional views on gender roles but these views are rooted from misogyny. He believes that a woman’s intellect, education and opinion is not needed for a woman. This evidently indicates that women’s place in society is mostly based on appearance . This links back to modesty and reputation as ,again, is often highlighted in eighteenth century women. With Frances Burney, she published Evelina anonymously. She did this as she wanted to combine ambition with “diffidence, independence with obligation “ ( Sabor, unknown: p 115.) Despite this, “ The rapid achievement of literacy by middle class women was, in itself, of great societal significant” ( Miller, 1971: p280) . Her own family was against her publication due to gender expectation. This clearly demonstrates how reputation is a huge theme in Evelina.
Reputation is often observed in novels like Evelina. For Evelina, we understand that, as a female , she unable to express her own ideas or create or be her own person. The novel opens with “This artless young creature, with too much beauty to escape notice, has too much sensibility to be indifferent to it; but she has too little wealth to be sought with propriety by men of the fashionable world”. ( Burney,1778:p8). We can see here that even though she is the daughter of a wealth baronet, she is forbidden to claim his name even though by law she is entitled to inherit his fortune. This would imply that the only asset Evelina owns would be her beauty and the charm of her appeal. As well as this, it is said that “ Her position as a nameless, female minor a form of social silence generates the conflict of the novel” . ( Gray, 1990:p 44). This suggest that as a female , she has no power of control over her identity or her inheritance due to being female. We can see this somewhat parallels Frances Burney’s life . This is because Burney was highly discouraged of being a writer. Family members believed that it would bring shame to the family and it was not place for a female like her to write. Again, like Evelina, that did not stop her from pursuing her career in writing.
This also relates back to Burney’s life prior to being a writer. According to Peter John Miller, he wrote “From the middle years of the eighteenth century, the increasing prosperity and social ambitions of the English middle classes were accompanied by a rapid growth of educational provisions for girls”. (Miller,1971:p279). In the case of Burney, we can understand that more and more girls were able to get into education . This is especially the case when it came to studying literature. However, this isn’t surprising as Burney came from a middle class background where she had access to formal education in a variety of subjects.
However, what readers may have noticed is that In Evelina’s dedication, “To the authors of the monthly and critical reviews.”, Burney brings her critics’ their attention , or rather their protection. She writes “The extensive plan of your critical observations,-which, not confined to works of utility or ingenuity, ‘is equally open to those of frivolous amusement,-and, yet worse than frivolous, dull- ness,-encourages me to seek for your protection, since,- perhaps for my sins!-it intitles me to your annotations. “ She also writes “To re- sent, therefore, this offering, however insignificant, would ill become the universality of your undertaking; though not to de- spise it may, alas! be out of your power “ ( Burney,1778:p ?). What readers may find strange about this is the tone of instruction. She clearly demands her critics’ protection in case it fails. This could be due to the fact that she was a anonymous writer who wanted approval. However, Burney understands that she needs a reception despite knowing it wont be granted to her. Likewise, “Burney includes a model of reading within Evelina that resembles conduct literature in its emphasis on propriety and that is meant to serve Burney's literary ambitions by teaching her critics how they ought to read her work.” ( Campbell,1990:p 557). This indicates that despite her dream of a writing career, she is sill afraid of failure . This ,again, links back to reputation. Perhaps Burney indirectly feels she will be misjudged by the general public if she ever reveals her true identity.
However, despite all the troubles Evelina goes through, she is able to maintain her innocence. This succeeds as she marries a rich and loving husband due to this reputation. Lord Orville,
Evelina’s potential suitor states “ The sweetness of Miss Anville's disposition, I have long admired; and the offer of a communication, which does me so much honour, is too grateful to me not to be eagerly caught at.”( Burney,1778: p? ). I can see in this quote that this is the first indication that Lord Orville is romantically interested in Evelina. This in turn foreshadows his confession of love towards Evelina and their marriage. We can also see here that Lord Orville is the only male character in the novel that has a general interest in Evelina . This may be due to the fact the he understand that she is inexperienced of the outside world therefore becomes some what of a protector. In addition to the statement made previously, I can also say that despite the fact that Evelina had no knowledge of the outside world, her innocence is what attracted Lord Orville to Evelina in the first place. This in turn, defied eighteenth century women expectations. Evelina was able travel by herself in spite of the trouble she occurred. Yet she was able find her self a husband and keep her reputation. This links back to reputation. This is because her guardian , Mr Villars kept referring to how eighteenth century women should be rather what Evelina wanted. Again, this was proven wrong by Evelina.
In conclusion, Evelina’s character is clearly perceived as an innocent young lady who lacks understanding of the outside world. This is due to the fact that women were only expected to look decent in order to impress other. In addition to this, I can see that reputation is a major theme in both in not only in Evelina, but in Frances Burney’s life. Women like Evelina were expected to dress in a certain manner in order to live in a respected society. By not dressing or acting in a modest fashion , women like Evelina would risk getting a good husband. What I have come to discover is that even though a sense of innocence is important in women on order to be respected, it is also the source of evil and temptation for men . This was clearly proven when Evelina came across Sir Clement and he decided to take advantage of her . We can also see throughout the story the journey Evelina takes in order for her to explore the city, she meets people who does not fully take advantage of her vulnerability. An example given is Lord Orville. He is the only male character in the text who is seemed interested in Evelina before marrying her. This clearly shows that despite the bad events that happened whilst travelling as a woman, she still kept her innocent. In doing so , she managed to fulfil the duties of a typical eighteenth century woman despite her ignorance of the outside world. As mentioned previously, Evelina is like a canvas waiting to be filled with knowledge in which she gained throughout the novel.
