Books by Maria Edgeworth
“Belinda herself, the heroine, almost marries a Creole man from the West Indies called Mr. Vincent. So Edgeworth, partly because she’s Irish, partly because of the period in which she’s writing, is thinking about the impact of imperialism and colonialism on the state of the world, and she’s really opening up the possibility of interracial marriage, which is very radical. The other amazing part of the book is the character of Lady Delacour, who is this fascinating aristocratic woman who thinks she has breast cancer for two-thirds of the novel. A bit like in the Sterne novel, we see the inner torment of someone who believes herself to be dying. Part of what’s so brilliant about the way Edgeworth tells the story is that it’s always quite opaque. We never fully understand what’s happening. I think that reflects Lady Delacour’s sense that she can’t communicate the extremity of her fear and vulnerability to the world.” Read more...
Sophie Gee, Literary Scholar
Interviews where books by Maria Edgeworth were recommended
The Best 18th-Century Novels, recommended by Sophie Gee
There’s nothing in modern works of fiction that wasn’t already there in the great novels of the 18th century, argues Sophie Gee, a professor of English at Princeton University and co-host of the Secret Life of Books podcast. She talks us through five of her favourites, from the irrepressible Moll Flanders to the melancholic beauty of Sense and Sensibility.
