Mary Davys, The Reform'd Coquet

Martha F. Bowden (Kennesaw State University)
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The Reform’d Coquet

is the story of Amoranda, a young woman who is “reformed” from a careless and flighty girl to a mature and marriageable woman by the tutelage of a mentor named Formator. She has all the attributes of a heroine of romance: she is beautiful, wealthy, accomplished and an orphan, and is thus both desirable and vulnerable, not only because of her orphan status, but also through her own playful and careless nature. The mentor is provided by a benevolent uncle, who has chosen a husband for her but believes she is not yet ready for marriage. But if the story has all the ingredients of romance, it also has a healthy infusion of the Restoration stage, for not only is this heroine beautiful, she is also witty and quick. Davys dedicates it to “The Ladies of Great…

1507 words

Citation: Bowden, Martha F.. "The Reform'd Coquet". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 August 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=16839, accessed 22 November 2024.]

16839 The Reform'd Coquet 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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