The Seduction Narrative in Britain, 1747–1800

by Katherine Binhammer

Eighteenth-century literature displays a fascination with the seduction of a virtuous young heroine, most famously illustrated by Samuel Richardson's Clarissa and repeated in 1790s radical women's novels, in the many memoirs by fictional or real penitent prostitutes, and in street print. Across fiction, ballads, essays and miscellanies, stories were told of women's mistaken belief in their lovers' vows. In this book Katherine Binhammer surveys seduction narratives from the late eighteenth century within the context of the new ideal of marriage-for-love and shows how these tales tell varying stories of women's emotional and sexual lives. Drawing on new historicism, feminism, and narrative theory, Binhammer argues that the seduction narrative allowed writers to explore different fates for the heroine than the domesticity that became the dominant form in later literature. This study will appeal to scholars of eighteenth-century literature, social and cultural history, and women's and gender studies.

254 pages, Hardcover

First published November 30, 2009

Reviews

[Emma Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this informative and it's going to prove useful as I prepare for an exam on this topic. It pointed me in the direction of some useful foundational scholarship while making its own distinct (and refreshing) arguments. I found it very manageable for an academic book despite not having read all of the primary texts of interest. The most helpful part for me was the first chapter, which I read in tandem with early portions of Clarissa. This book will be a useful springboard from which I can flesh out my current short list of seduction lit into a long list for postgrad independent study.