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Summary
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Evelina: or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Sensibility, Etiquette, and Appearances
Gender, Reputation, and Marriage
Inheritance, Class, and Nobility
Innocence, Guidance, and Experience
Summary
Analysis
In Kent, in England, Lady Howard writes to her friend Mr. Villars to tell him that she has some bad news: she has received an angry letter from a woman named Madame Duval. Madame Duval has just discovered that her late daughter, Caroline Belmont, gave birth to a daughter before she died—and that Mr. Villars has raised this child, Evelina, since her birth. Madame Duval insinuates that Mr. Villars deliberately kept the child from her and announces that she plans to return to England to meet her. Lady Howard is deeply offended by this letter and feels that Mr. Villars has actually done Madame Duval a great favor by raising Evelina.
Lady Howard implies that Mr. Villars has been a steadfast influence in Evelina’s life—he has raised her since birth—and is therefore an effective parental role model. Madame Duval, by contrast, has been absent from Evelina’s life and neglected her own daughter, Caroline. Madame Duval admits she was not aware that Caroline was pregnant, which suggests that she was an absent mother for Caroline.
Themes
Madame Duval says that if Mr. Villars can prove that Evelina really is her granddaughter, then he should send Evelina to France, where Madame Duval will provide for her. Lady Howard notes that Madame Duval’s letter is “vulgar,” and that Madame Duval is clearly uneducated. She also thinks that Madame Duval is rude because she wrote a letter to Lady Howard even though she has only met her once before.
As a young woman in this period, Evelina has no say over her future—she cannot earn her own money and must attract a husband to financially support her. Madame Duval’s plan to uproot Evelina without her consent demonstrates how young women’s fates were decided by their families; men often choose to marry women based on their family’s wealth rather than love. 18th-century British society was also governed by strict etiquette conventions, which the upper classes learned from birth. Lady Howard’s comment about Madame Duval’s rudeness suggests that Madame Duval is from a lower-class background, as she does not understand etiquette, which forbids people from writing to each other without a formal introduction.
Themes
Lady Howard feels that Mr. Villars is the only person who can decide what is best for Evelina, as he is her guardian and has raised her since childhood. Lady Howard also worries that Madame Duval is untrustworthy and would be a bad influence on Evelina. Lady Howard concludes her letter by reminding Mr. Villars that Evelina is always welcome to come and stay with her at her house, Howard Grove.
In patriarchal 18th-century society, unmarried women could not decide their own fates but were considered their father’s property. By this logic, Mr. Villars—Evelina’s adoptive father—can decide Evelina’s fate, as he is her guardian. Evelina is inexperienced and has led a sheltered life in the countryside. Lady Howard worries that Madame Duval may lead Evelina astray and encourage her to behave in ways that could damage her reputation and, consequently, ruin her chance at finding a husband.
Themes
