The title of Elizabeth Sheridan’s novel raises expectations of a conventional work in which the eponymous heroines successfully undergo various trials and emerge in the work’s closing pages to submit to the norms of their society. In tone, content, and aspects of its plot, however, this novel radically departs from such expectations.
Initially published in Dublin, the novel was later published in London as The Reconciliation: or, History of Miss Mortimer, and Miss Fitzgerald (1783). It consists of 53 letters written by five different correspondents, but the greater part of the novel is written by Louisa Mortimer and Eliza Fitzgerald, each of whom keeps a journal, regularly dispatched to the other to express and support their friendship while they are apart. At 23, Louisa Mortimer is
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Citation: Douglas, Aileen. "The Triumph of Prudence over Passion". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 July 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35036, accessed 23 November 2024.]