Belinda is a novel written by Maria Edgeworth, first published in 1801. The story follows the life of a young woman named Belinda Portman, who is sent to live with her aunt in London after the death of her mother. Belinda is a beautiful and intelligent young woman, and soon finds herself the subject of attention from several suitors, including the wealthy and charming Mr. Vincent. However, Belinda is torn between her desire for love and her sense of duty to her family and society.The novel explores themes of gender roles, ...
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Belinda is a novel written by Maria Edgeworth, first published in 1801. The story follows the life of a young woman named Belinda Portman, who is sent to live with her aunt in London after the death of her mother. Belinda is a beautiful and intelligent young woman, and soon finds herself the subject of attention from several suitors, including the wealthy and charming Mr. Vincent. However, Belinda is torn between her desire for love and her sense of duty to her family and society.The novel explores themes of gender roles, social status, and the importance of education for women. Edgeworth was a pioneering feminist writer, and her portrayal of Belinda as a strong and independent woman was groundbreaking for its time. The novel also features a diverse cast of characters, including people of different races and social classes, which was unusual for a novel of this period.Belinda is a captivating and thought-provoking novel that offers a fascinating glimpse into the social and cultural norms of 18th-century England. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of women's rights and gender relations.""If I had served myself, with half the zeal that I have served the world, I should not now be thus forsaken!--I have sacrificed reputation, happiness--every thing, to the love of frolic--All frolic will soon be at an end with me--I am dying--and I shall die unlamented by any human being. --If I were to live my life over again, what a different life it should be!--What a different person I would be! --But it is all over now--I am dying.""This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
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Add this copy of Belinda to cart. $85.10, new condition, Sold by Booksplease rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Southport, MERSEYSIDE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2010 by Kessinger Publishing.
A delightful story of a beautiful and refreshingly rational and intelligent young lady (wouldn't mind a few more of those!) who learns from the mistakes of those around her, Belinda had me burning the midnight oil from beginning to end. There are characters aplenty - a scheming and mercenary aunt, a captivating, middle-aged bon vivant with a sad secret and a crumbling marriage, servants faithful and faithless, a few harpies, and not one but two handsome suitors - and smack in the middle of it all, Belinda - smart, well-read, and very aware of the craziness around her. This is a very briskly-paced, very funny novel, with lots of talk, certainly, but plenty of action at every turn. Clarence Hervey must be one of the most unusual and intriguing heroes I have come across in a novel from this period (could you see Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy dressing up in a hoopskirt to make a point?). I'm sure that there are a lot of very academic things I could say about this novel - its treatment of race relations in an England that had not yet abolished the slave trade, its commentary on women making their own marriage choices - but that's not why I enjoyed it. It's a great story on its own.
