Evelina is purely based on letters exchanged by many characters throughout Evelina’s journey to become a woman. The first volume of Evelina gives us an introduction into Evelina’s first hand experiences with the aspects of high-class society. We are introduced to the main characters of Evelina’s life who include Rev. Arthur Villars, Mrs. And Miss Mirvan, Madam Duval, Lord Orville – to name a few. Through the perspective of Evelina (or Anville) in most letters, the aforementioned characters positively and negatively assist in Evelina’s development as a person who attempts to adjust to a different world.
What struck me as interesting whilst reading through the first volume of Evelina was the style in which Evelina wrote: she wrote letters as if she was writing into a diary. It becomes obvious that she uses this particular medium as a means to communicate her experiences with her guardian, but it also tells the readers that we should not take everything she says at face value. After all, we are imported into Evelina’s world through her perspective a majority of time in Volume One.
The theme of her reputation and female virtue is outlined by a series of letters as she tries to escape public scrutiny regarding her past and her attempts at integrating within a hierarchical society. In the first few letters, Evelina is teased by men who attempt to seduce her and in turn, this causes Evelina to wince at future attempts of wooing. The letters can be seen as a way to preserve her innocence and her virtue as she exposes herself into unchartered territory – sexually and socially. We are given an external perspective from her misunderstandings with others and her fascinations with being accepted into an alien culture. Not only does Evelina attempt to garner attention through guidance and counsel from Mr. Villars, but she also attempts to acquire an understanding for her role as a female entering womanhood. Her encounters with Lord Orville, a soft spoken gentleman who continues to show Evelina the utmost respect, show readers how fragile and naive a creature like Evelina is.
For example, Lord Orville in Letter XVIII says to Evelina: “I do think that whoever has once seen Miss Anville, must receive an impression never to be forgotten.” Almost immediately, Evelina rejects Lord Orville by leaving him to attend other matters. Yet she is constantly praising his chivalrous behaviour in her letters to Mr. Villars. It becomes obvious that Evelina admires Lord Orville, but is unable to socially interact with him. Again, Evelina’s innocence and fragility become apparent through her interactions with different characters as she constantly weaves in and out of awkward social situations.
The first volume of Evelina is set up to evoke the theme of sensibility as women are the focus of the novel. It becomes apparent that Evelina, because she is not apart of high society, does not carry the virtue of sensibility. We are introduced to her as she is still unable to emotionally and intellectually connect with others around her. Her innocence, however, makes her naturally sensible to the hungry men looking for her hand in marriage. In turn, we begin to see a change in Evelina as she continues her journey into womanhood.
Women Writers, 1660-1800 