In January 1778 Thomas Lowndes, a bookseller in the Strand, published an anonymous three-volume novel entitled
Evelina, or, a Young Lady's Entrance into the World. Praised by London's literary and social leaders, the novel proved a popular success and one lady reputedly complained to its publisher, “Do Mr. Lowndes give me Evelina Im treated as unfashionable for not having read it”. Speculation was rife about the work's author and by the end of the year it became known that Frances Burney, daughter of the musician and musical historian Dr Charles Burney, had written the novel.
Evelina consists of a series of letters, chiefly written by the eponymous heroine, describing her progress from rural retirement through the perils of London society. Evelina proceeds through a quest alternately
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Citation: Crump, Justine. "Evelina, or, A Young Lady's Entrance into the World". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 June 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=5268, accessed 22 November 2024.]
