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), Robert Clark (The Literary Encyclopedia), 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

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 novel in English and American magazines. Several poems also were adapted as songs. Robinson’s biographers attribute Vancenza’s success...

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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 09 June 2026.]

Mary Robinson, Vancenza; or, The Dangers of Credulity

Dates

Places

Genres and Modes

Resources

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