Emma; or, The Unfortunate Attachment: A Sentimental Novel

by Georgiana Cavendish, Jonathan David Gross

Jonathan David Gross is Associate Professor of English at DePaul University. He is the author of The Erotic Liberal and editor of Byron's "Corbeau Blanc" The Life and Letters of Lady Melbourne .

Genres: Classics, Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 7, 2004

About the author

Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (née Spencer) was the first wife of William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire, and mother of the 6th Duke of Devonshire. Her father, John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer, was a great-grandson of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. Her niece was Lady Caroline Lamb. She was the great-great-great-great-aunt of Diana, Princess of Wales. She attained a large amount of fame in her lifetime.She became notorious for her marital arrangements, her catastrophic love affairs, and her love of gambling; she was famous for her beauty and her political campaigning; and she was a leader of fashionable style. Cavendish wrote a number of works of both prose and poetry during her lifetime. In 1779, she anonymously published the epistolary novel The Sylph. It has been speculated that The Sylph was written by Sophia Briscoe. A receipt at the British Library suggests that Briscoe was paid for The Sylph, but it is thought more likely that Briscoe may have served as an intermediary between the duchess and her publisher, so that Georgiana could keep her anonymity.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I actually enjoyed it more than The Sylph.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as The Sylph; in fact I wonder if it's the same author. But there is a fascinating feminist thread that is well developed.