Mary Robinson, Vancenza; or, The Dangers of Credulity

Dawn Vernooy (Shippensburg University)

Ed. by Daniel Robinson, Widener University
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 1792 - c.

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Gothic & Ghosts
Historical
Novel
Romance

Resources

Save to Bookshelf

Mary Robinson published her first novel,

Vancenza

, with John Bell in 1792. Like the six novels that followed,

Vancenza

explores radical political and feminist philosophy that is in line with Mary Wollstonecraft, William Godwin, and Thomas Paine. In

Vancenza

Robinson shows that having an enlightened mind supplants aristocratic privilege and that garnering an independent income is preferable to living under aristocratic patronage. Additionally,

Vancenza

explores the significance of maternally transmitted texts as didactic tools that irrevocably shape children’s futures.

Vancenza was a popular success, going through five editions by 1794, and was translated into French, German, and Dutch. Between 1792 and 1810, a chapbook edition of the novel appeared as well as excerpts and poems from the

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

1786 words

Citation: Vernooy, Dawn. "Vancenza; or, The Dangers of Credulity". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 06 December 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=8588, accessed 21 November 2024.]

Mary Robinson, Vancenza; or, The Dangers of Credulity

Dates

Places

Genres and Modes

Resources

Save this article

Leave Feedback