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Volume 2, Letter 17
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
Mr. Villars writes back to Evelina and says that he is not disappointed, but proud, that she helped Mr. Macartney. He feels that her compassion toward Mr. Macartney is very admirable and writes that women are just as brave and honorable as men when they are given the opportunity. Although Mr. Villars believes that Mr. Macartney must have done something to get himself into debt, he is intrigued by Evelina’s story about Mr. Macartney’s suicide attempt. He hopes that Mr. Macartney can resolve his problems.
Evelina’s kindness toward Mr. Macartney proves to Mr. Villars that he has been a good moral guide to her and has raised her to be a compassionate person who genuinely cares for others. Mr. Villars’s statement about Evelina’s bravery supports Burney’s thesis that 18th-century British society often does not give women credit for behaving sensibly or honorably.
Themes
Mr. Villars is extremely angry to hear about Sir Clement’s flirtatious conduct toward Evelina, which he feels is forward and insulting. Mr. Villars does not want Evelina to associate with Sir Clement anymore. Mr. Villars writes that he will soon send his servant, Mrs. Clinton, to meet Evelina in London and, from there, the pair will travel to Howard Grove. He hopes that Evelina will come home soon, because he misses her.
Mr. Villars recognizes that Sir Clement does not have good intentions toward Evelina—he is happy to flirt with her but has no plan to marry her. Women’s reputations were fragile in this era, and premarital sex was viewed as scandalous and unforgivable for a woman. Therefore, Sir Clement’s forwards behavior may jeopardize Evelina’s reputation because, even if Evelina rejects Sir Clement’s advances, people will likely believe him over her if he claims to have seduced her.
Themes
