Maria Edgeworth, Belinda

Sharon Jude Murphy (St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra)
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Maria Edgeworth (1768-1849) was already the celebrated author of essays, tales for children, works on education, and an Irish tale by the time she published

Belinda

(1801), her first novel of manners. In the advertisement with which she preceded her work, she described it as “a Moral Tale – the author not wishing to acknowledge a Novel. … [S]o much folly, errour, and vice are disseminated in books classed under this denomination, that it is hoped the wish to assume another title will be attributed to feelings that are laudable, and not fastidious”. Edgeworth's reluctance to describe

Belinda

as a novel is significant for many reasons, and not least because it is curiously reflective of the several anxieties that coalesced around both the reading and writing of fiction at this…

1394 words

Citation: Murphy, Sharon Jude. "Belinda". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 31 May 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6385, accessed 19 March 2024.]

6385 Belinda 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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