Description

Edited with extensive academic commentary by Ian Campbell Ross and Anne Markey, Vertue Rewarded: or The Irish Princess (originally published anonymously in 1693) is a landmark text in the history of the early English and Irish novel. Set in the historic town of Clonmel during the turbulent Williamite War, the narrative follows the romantic and moral trials of a young Irish woman pursuing virtue amidst military occupation and shifting political allegiances. Ross and Markey provide a comprehensive introductory essay that contextualizes the novel within the complex colonial, religious, and gender politics of late 17th-century Ireland. The annotations decode the historical figures, military engagements, and contemporary literary tropes embedded within the prose. This critical edition is highly valuable for university literature departments, researchers of early modern fiction, and historians interested in how the deep divides of the Williamite era were processed through early creative prose.