Evelina - Broadview Literary Texts Author:Frances Burney Frances Burney (1752-1840) is often remembered for her connections with such eighteenth-century figures as Johnson, Burke, Reynolds, Garrick, and Mrs. Thrale. She was famous in her own day, however, for her literary oeuvre, and her reputation was established largely on the grounds of her first novel, Evelina. Published anonymously in 1778, it is... more » an epistolary account of a sheltered, orphaned young woman's entrance into society and her experience of family. Its comedy ranges from violent practical joking reminiscent of Smollett's work to witty repartee that influenced Austen. When Evelina's mother dies, she is raised by a rural clergyman. She nears adulthood guarded from the world. Concerned about the repercussions of Evelina's ignorance, a family friend, Lady Howard, suggests that the time is ripe for a remedy. The focus of the plot is precisely this entrance into the world. The Broadview edition is the only one available based on the second edition of the novel (from 1779), which incorporates Burney's revisions and corrections. Its appendices include contemporary reviews of Evelina as well as eighteenth-century works on the family and on comedy.« less