The Female Quixote - Lennox, Charlotte

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Résumé :
The Female Quixote (1752) is a novel by Charlotte Lennox. A parody of Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote, Lennox's novel was an immediate critical and commercial success. Boosted by praise from Samuel Johnson, Henry Fielding, and Samuel Richardson, The Female Quixote launched Lennox's career as a leading author of English plays, poetry, and novels. Although she failed to regain her early heights as an author, Lennox and her work have undergone positive reappraisal by twentieth century feminist scholars, securing her long-underrecognized reputation as an important precursor to Jane Austen and countless other writers.Raised in a remote English castle by her father, Arabella makes up for a lack of formal education with an endless appetite for French romance novels. Although exceedingly intelligent, her lack of experience and overactive imagination lead her to fantasize about the world outside. Envisioning a life of adventure and romance, she receives a rude awakening when, upon the death of her father, she is to be left his estate on the condition she marry her cousin Glanville. Making her way to London via Bath, Arabella makes a positive impression on the young gentleman, who recognizes her innocence but remains determined to love her. As he attempts to educate her on the realities of city life, his friend Sir George Bellmour tries to take advantage of her through a courtship veiled in the chivalry of her beloved novels. When a case of mistaken identity leads to Arabella being gravely injured, Glanville is forced to decide whether the young woman he cares for will ever manage to come to terms with their shared reality. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Charlotte Lennox's The Female Quixote is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

Biographie:

Charlotte Lennox (1730-1804) was a Scottish novelist, poet, and playwright. Born in Gibraltar to a British military officer and his wife, Lennox was raised in England before moving to Albany, New York, where her father served as lieutenant-governor until his death in 1742. At thirteen, Lennox was sent to live with her maternal aunt in London, but ultimately lived as a companion of Lady Isabella Finch due to her aunt's struggle with mental illness. In 1746, she began acting in civic dramas, public plays designed to address prominent social issues. With the publication of her debut collection of poetry, Poems on Several Occasions (1747), Lennox turned her attention to her career as a writer. Her most successful poem, The Art of Coquetry, was published in Gentleman's Magazine in 1750, bringing Lennox to the attention of Samuel Johnson and his circle of literary friends. In 1752, her novel The Female Quixote was published to critical acclaim from Johnson and Samuel Richardson. Despite publishing anonymously, Lennox was known to be the author of the successful parody of Miguel de Cervantes' work, earning her a reputation as a leading author of the London literary scene. Although Lennox published several plays and two more novels, she ultimately failed to sustain her early success. After living for nearly a decade through the support of the Royal Literary Fund, Lennox died in London and was buried in an unmarked grave. In the twentieth century, leading feminist scholars rediscovered Lennox's work, in particular The Female Quixote, earning Lennox posthumous praise as an undervalued artist who managed to excel at a craft dominated by men.