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Lifting the veil : disruption and order in Frances Burney's Evelina
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.
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€1,69