Evelina

A novel written by Fanny Burney and published in 1778. In the form of letters, it tells of the entrance of a young girl named Evelina into society and of how she became reacquainted with her family, gained an inheritance and got married.


 * Broken Pedestal: Thanks to Willoughby's forged letter, this happens briefly to Lord Orville in Evelina's eyes.
 * Butt Monkey: Madame Duval is frequently the butt of Captain Mirvan’s insults and pranks. Towards the end of the novel, Mr. Lovel takes on this role.
 * Character Title
 * Coming of Age Story
 * Contrived Coincidence:The young man Evelina stopped from killing himself just happened to be her long lost half brother.
 * Cool Old Lady: Lady Howard and Mrs. Selwyn.
 * Daddy's Girl: He may not be her biological father but Evelina is definitely the apple of Arthur Villars eye.
 * Dances and Balls: There are several.
 * Dance of Romance: Evelina first meets Lord Orville at a ball where he asks her to dance.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Mrs. Selwyn is this trope in spades.
 * Death by Childbirth: the heroine’s mother.
 * The Ditz: Madame Duval
 * Does Not Like Men: The widower Mrs. Selwyn.
 * Doting Parent: Reverend Villars is this to Evelina.
 * Either or Title: Evelina or the History of a Young Lady's Entrance into the World.
 * Epistolary Novel
 * Gold Digger: Madame Duval, the whole Branghton family and Willoughby.
 * Grande Dame: Madame Duval acts this way.
 * Happily Adopted: Evelina.
 * The Ingenue: Evelina starts off like this due to her sheltered upbringing.
 * Jerkass: Sir Clement Willoughby, Captain Mirvan, The Branghtons, Mr. Lovel, and Lord Merton. This novel is packed with jerks.
 * The Ladette: Mrs. Selwyn.
 * Long Lost Sibling: Mr. Maccartney is Evelina's half brother.
 * My God, What Have I Done?: Sir Belmont's reaction to eventually seeing Evelina.
 * Naive Everygirl: Evelina starts out like this.
 * One Word Title
 * Parental Abandonment: Evelina’s mother died giving birth to her and her father abandoned her mother before Evelina was even born.
 * Plucky Girl: Evelina.
 * Proper Lady: Evelina and Miss Mirvan.
 * Rich Bitch: Lord Orville’s sister.
 * Shrinking Violet: Evelina.
 * Smug Snake: Mr. Lovel.
 * The Stoic: Lord Orville.
 * Strong Family Resemblance: Evelina is the exact likeness of her deceased mother.
 * Surprise Incest: The eponymous heroine saves one Mr. Maccartney from suicide, since he believes he fell in love with his sister. Maccartney grows to idolize his savior Evelina in a quasi-romantic fashion. However, at the end of the novel, Evelina is revealed to be his real sister, while his original beloved was an unwitting (and unrelated) impostor
 * Take Care of the Kids: Evelina's mother made Reverend Villars promise to protect her daughter.
 * Weddings for Everyone: The ending.
 * Will They or Won't They?: Evelina and Lord Orville. They will.