Reading with the Burneys

This Element offers a multidimensional study of reading practice and sibling rivalry in late eighteenth-century Britain. The case study is the Aberdeen student and disgraced thief Charles Burney's treatment of Evelina (1778), the debut novel of his sister Frances Burney. Coulombeau uses Charles's manuscript poetry, letters, and marginalia, alongside illustrative prints and circulating library archives, to tell the story of how he attempted to control Evelina's reception in an effort to bolster his own socio-literary status. Uniting approaches drawn from literary studies, biography, bibliography, and the history of the book, the Element enriches scholarly understanding of the reception of Frances Burney's fiction, with broader implications for studies of gender, class, kinship and reading in this period. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Reviews & endorsements

‘Sophie Coulombeau’s beautifully written Element is packed with new information about the early reception of Frances Burney’s first novel, Evelina (1778), and the hitherto unrecognized role in its marketing played by her younger brother Charles. Previous known as the successful schoolmaster and eminent classicist that he became in later life, Charles is seen here as a young man on the make, striving both to aid his sister in launching her career and to capitalize on her new-found fame. It’s a fascinating story, told with great sensitivity and a wealth of telling details.’ Peter Sabor, Canada Research Chair in Eighteenth-Century Studies, McGill University

‘As Coulombeau reads with the Burneys in this Cambridge Element, she teaches us new things about eighteenth-century libraries, book-love, family authorship, and sibling rivalry. An insightful literary detective and a brilliant story-teller, she also offers us a promising new methodology for doing the history of reading.’ Deidre Lynch, Ernest Bernbaum Professor of Literature, Harvard University

‘Impressive and compelling … Coulombeau’s approach of ‘3D reading’ yields both an interesting story and some broader conclusions - not a mean feat for a slim volume presenting one case study.’ Norbert Schürer, Textual Cultures

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