Helen

By Maria Edgeworth

Book Overview

Rediscover Maria Edgeworth's "Helen," a compelling exploration of women's lives and social expectations in 19th-century England. Set against the backdrop of intricate domestic life and the complexities of marriage, this literary novel delves into the nuances of social relationships and the challenges faced by women within a rigid societal structure.

Edgeworth's keen observations offer a glimpse into the historical context of the era, painting a vivid picture of English social life and the roles prescribed to women. This meticulously prepared edition allows readers to experience the richness and depth of a classic work of historical fiction. "Helen" remains a relevant and insightful portrayal of womanhood, enduring as a testament to the power of character and the timeless concerns of the human heart. A captivating read for those interested in literary fiction, women's stories, and historical novels.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1022946951
• ISBN13: 9781022946958
• Release Date: March 2025
• Publisher: Anson Street Press
• Length: 410 Pages
• Weight: 1.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Burney is to Camilla as Edgworth is to Helen

The title of my review may not make sense to readers unfamiliar with the four novels of Frances Burney, nor a bit of biography about the two great women authors, Frances Burney and Maria Edgeworth. Both Burney's Camilla and Edgeworth's Helen are later works of fiction produced after earlier successes. Both were published after a long break in time in writing. Both are perhaps "overworked," and in reading both, I often think of how much anxiety the heroines exhibit, and I sense anxiety in the authors in themselves being expressed in subtle ways in text. Both texts have great strengths, yet if they are read after the greater works of the authors (Evelina, Cecilia, Belinda, Patronage, The Absentee, Ennui), there is a sad sense of lost compactness, lost power. Both Camilla and Helen are longer than they need be, and I suspect their length is the result of excessive rewriting and anxiety on the part of the two authors. Yet having said that, I would argue that second-rate Edgeworth is superior to a great many authors' best efforts. Helen is at heart a story about friendship and betrayal, selflessness and selfishness, social lies and their cost. As usual, once I start to try to narrow down a theme of Edgeworth's, more and more lessons on life and great human issues emerge from her writing. Edgeworth understands people and the social games they play, and this perceptive power is still fresh and relevant in 2004. The role of women in politics, political intrigue, and power is an important theme in the book; here some women will struggle with Edgeworth's ambiguity and long for the absolute world of Mary Wollstonecraft. But Edgeworth tackles issues on a practical level-unlike Wollstonecraft she is not able to say, "This is how it should be," but rather Edgeworth explores issues in social context. She shows us behavior and the diverse reactions of people in society, leads us to look at different values, different lifestyles. There is in all of Edgeworth's novels, a level of common sense and the way of the world that keeps her novels from becoming too didactic, too formulaic, too visionary, and too melodramatic. Just as things seem to become too serious, too moral, or (horrors!) boring, Edgeworth makes us laugh at the silly ways people try to protect or feed their vanity, self-esteem, or social reputation.