"Belinda" is a novel written by Maria Edgeworth, an author from Ireland and England. It was first published in three volumes by Joseph Johnson in London in 1801. This was Edgeworth's second published novel and was considered controversial at the time because it described a marriage between a Black servant named Juba and an English farmgirl named Lucy. The book was reprinted by Pandora Press in 1986.
In the first two editions (1801 and 1802), Juba marries Lucy. However, in the 1810 edition, Juba's character was not included, and Lucy instead becomes engaged to a man named James Jackson. In the first two editions, the main character, Belinda, nearly marries Mr. Vincent, a wealthy man from the West Indies. In the 1810 edition, Belinda only respects Mr. Vincent and does not agree to marry him. Some people believe that this change happened because Edgeworth's father edited several of her books after they were published.
Synopsis
Belinda is a young woman who lives with her aunt, Mrs. Stanhope. Because Belinda is not married, she is sent to live with Lady Delacour, whom Belinda finds interesting and kind. Lady Delacour believes she has breast cancer and is dying. She hides her sadness and difficult feelings about her family from Belinda by using cleverness and kindness. The first part of the story focuses on the growing friendship between Belinda and Lady Delacour, which ends when Lady Delacour becomes worried that Belinda plans to marry Lord Delacour. This fear is shown in Lady Delacour’s words: "I see…that she [Belinda] who I thought had the noblest of souls has the meanest! I see that she is incapable of feeling."
Later, Belinda moves to live with the Percival family, who represent a perfect family. After Lady Delacour begins treatment for her illness, Belinda returns to help her. When Lady Delacour visits the doctor, she learns her disease is not fatal, and she reconciles with Belinda. Eventually, Lady Delacour fully recovers from her illness.
Main characters
Lady Delacour is a fashionable woman known for her wit. At first, Belinda finds her "the most fascinating person she had ever beheld." Later, after learning about Lady Delacour's difficult past, Belinda feels "astonishment, pity, admiration, and contempt." Despite this, Belinda treats Lady Delacour kindly, which helps Lady Delacour grow warmer toward her husband and daughter, Helena. However, Lady Delacour's sudden jealousy causes her to push Belinda away, sending her to stay with the Percivals, where Helena had previously lived. Later, Lady Delacour realizes her jealousy was unfounded and, while very ill, begs Belinda to return. Belinda comes back, and Lady Delacour, now sorry and humble, follows Belinda's advice to reconcile with her husband. She shares her mysterious history and fears of having cancer. Her husband is caring, and she learns she does not have cancer. The doctor she had trusted had worsened her condition with harmful treatments. Happy and determined to change, Lady Delacour uses her talents to become a better wife, friend, and mother. She ends the story by humorously addressing the audience with a moral. Some critics believe her strong character and important role in the novel make the book better suited to be named after her rather than Belinda.
Belinda Portman is a seventeen-year-old young woman described as "handsome, graceful, sprightly, and highly accomplished." She has strong abilities but relies on her aunt for guidance, even though her thoughts often differ from her actions. Belinda is kind and loving, especially toward Clarence Hervey, though she rarely admits her feelings. Mr. Vincent and Sir Philip both wish to marry her. She is generous and forgiving, as seen when she sincerely forgives Lady Delacour. She also controls her emotions well, such as when she keeps her composure when others discuss Clarence Hervey or when Mrs. Freke vows to be her enemy. However, her rationality led some critics to call her "cold." Although the author made minor changes in a later edition, the core story of Belinda remained the same.
Clarence Hervey is an eccentric, idealistic young man who is clever, witty, and gallant. Belinda first describes him as "a most uncommonly pleasing young man." He shows kindness by asking Lady Delacour to reconcile with Belinda after he spoke harshly about her. He admires Lady Delacour and tries to "reform" her, growing to admire Belinda as well. However, he had secretly raised Virginia, an innocent girl, to be his perfect wife. When he realizes he must marry Virginia out of honor, he struggles to let go of Belinda. This causes problems, but Virginia reveals she loves someone else, freeing Clarence to confess his love for Belinda. They eventually marry.
Lady Anne Percival is very different from Lady Delacour. She is gentle, motherly, and amiable. Clarence Hervey is struck by the "expression of happiness" on her face and considers her one of the happiest women he has met. Belinda compares Lady Anne's wit to "the refulgent moon," saying people "love the mild rays and bless the useful light." She also tells Mr. Vincent that no one would compare favorably to Lady Anne. Lady Anne is knowledgeable and enjoys literature, making her a good companion to Mr. Percival. She is kind and treats Helena like her own daughter without trying to replace her biological mother. She also treats Belinda with kindness and avoids judging others quickly. She wished for Belinda to marry Mr. Vincent. At first, Lady Delacour disliked Lady Anne, suspecting she had stolen Helena's affection, possibly due to lingering feelings for Mr. Percival. However, they likely became friends by the end of the story.
Literary significance and reception
Literary critic George Saintsbury believed that Jane Austen's realistic female characters were influenced by the spirited heroine in the society novel Belinda. When Austen revised her early novel draft Susan, which was later published as Northanger Abbey, she included a reference to Belinda.
Belinda was part of a tradition of British society novels written by authors such as Frances Sheridan and Frances Burney, who also showed the challenges faced by intelligent young women seeking good marriages. Belinda, considered one of Maria Edgeworth's best novels about courtship, focuses on finding a compatible marriage partner rather than marrying for wealth. It emphasizes love and emotion over reason and duty, a theme that Austen later explored in her own works.
In Belinda, the aristocratic character Lady Delacour has been compared to Miss Milner, a character in Elizabeth Inchbald's novel A Simple Story (1791).