Description

Celebrated by Jane Austen and credited by Sir Walter Scott as a major inspiration, Maria Edgeworth was a towering figure in Regency-era literature. While best known for her sharp social realism and political critiques of the landlord system, Maria Edgeworth and Romance dives into her fascinating, complex engagement with the romantic traditions of her day.

This collection of critical essays explores how Edgeworth cleverly balanced the sensible, pragmatic values of the Enlightenment with the emotional, high-stakes drama of romantic narrative styles. The text examines her depiction of gender roles, family power struggles, and cross-cultural courtships across her iconic novels and short stories. It stands as a vital resource for scholars of Anglo-Irish literature, women’s writing, and 19th-century cultural history.

Critical frameworks explored in this volume:

• Literary History Positioning: Evaluates Edgeworth’s profound structural influence on major contemporaries like Jane Austen and Sir Walter Scott.

• Gender and Genre Analysis: Deeply examines her treatment of courtship boundaries, marital choice, and domestic power in the 1800s.

• Elite Academic Value: A premier reference work for university English departments and serious collections of early nineteenth-century fiction.