THE FAMOUS MISS BURNEY: The Diaries and Letters of Fanny Burney

by Fanny Burney ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 14, 1976

Highlights from the so-called diaries--really n loose agglomeration of journal-letters--of the irresistible Fanny Burney. Schrank and Supino present four major chunks of this surprising life: the years leading up to the publication of Evelina in 1778 (when Fanny was 26); her entry into the circle of Dr. Johnson following the novel's success; her unhappy five-year stint as Second Keeper of the Robes to Queen Charlotte during the first period of George III's madness; and--much more briefly--her final 46 years as Mme. Alexandre d'Arblay. This pleasant selection emphasizes Fanny's encounters with the notable and quotable: Garrick, Sheridan, Mrs. Thrale, Burke at the trial of Warren Hastings. Editorially, however, it is sometimes a bit dim. In the interest of brevity the entries have been so drastically (and often frustratingly) fragmented as to require much more cohesive informational links than Schrank and Supino provide, and their annotations are often perfunctory and unsystematic. Nevertheless, as they point out, it is good to have material from all of the ""diaries"" in accessible popular form.

Pub Date: April 14, 1976

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: John Day

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1976

Categories: NONFICTION