Lifting the veil : disruption and order in Frances Burney's Evelina

As has been largely proved by now, Evelina is more than a simple
tea-table novel mocking the manners of the time: it evinces a deep
reflection on the mores and values governing eighteenth-century
society and on the difficulties entailed in any attempt at defining
women's role and place in that society. This book aims at showing
how Frances Burney uses devices reminiscent of the satirical prints
and the comedies of manners of her time to raise the question of
the link between manners and the social classes, and more importantly,
to lift the veil hiding the savagery inherent in that so-called
civilized society. Disruptive forces bring chaos in the apparently
smooth narrative but whether they really question traditional hierarchies,
or whether they are ultimately meant to reassert them, remains
to be determined. In the end, the strongest subversion of all is
achieved in more secret ways, questioning men's power over women
through a development of reading and writing skills.

Product details

• Authors: Laure (1975-....) Blanchemain Faucon, Blanchemain Laure, Laure Blanchemain-Faucon, BLANCHEMAIN-FAUCON L, Laure Blanchemain Faucon
• Publisher: CNED
• Languages: French
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 02.10.2013
• EAN: 9782130625407
• ISBN: 978-2-13-062540-7
• No. of pages: 160
• Dimensions: 150 mm x 200 mm x 12 mm
• Weight: 204 g
• Series: CNED; Revue D'Histoire Litteraire de la France; Cned ; Serie Anglais; Collection CNED-PUF. Série Anglais; Collection CNED-PUF, Série Anglais
• Subject: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies