This ranging epistolary novel follows Julia Grenville, a Welsh beauty who knows little of the world until her marriage to the older Lord Stanley. Through Julia’s letters to her sister, readers learn more of Julia’s new life in London—her unfaithful husband, her miscarriage, her disillusionment with the city and its fashions. Other letters reveal that Julia has a longtime admirer, Harry Woodley, from her former life, as well as a mysterious guardian angel: her Sylph. This character guides Julia away from the depravities of her life in London, including her gambling problem. The Sylph is also another sympathetic ear to Julia’s increasing marital dissatisfaction and growing affinity for another man, the Baron Ton-hausen. As Julia nearly falls prey to the overzealous admirations of one of her husband’s associates, her husband is consumed by gambling debts to that same associate. She is shocked to discover the depths of her husband’s ruin and plans to flee to Wales before she too can be claimed in payment. Her disgraced husband takes the ultimate way out and Julia goes home to her father and sister in Wales. Her Sylph is not far behind, however, and soon reveals himself to Julia to be more than she could have ever imagined.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
"This scholarly edition of The Sylph provides fresh insights into the lives of aristocratic women in the 1770s. The novel by one of the most fashionable women of her age is both a window on upper-class social mores and a roman à clef drawing on the Duchess's own gambling addiction and unconventional domestic arrangements." --Janet Todd, Herbert J.C. Grierson Professor of English Literature, University of Aberdeen
"Once praised as ingenious and condemned as obscene, The Sylph is, in fact, a fascinating insider's view of the life of the British ruling class, penned by one of the most gifted and troubled women of the eighteenth century." --Paula R. Feldman, C. Wallace Martin Professor of English, University of South Carolina
About the Author
Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire (b. 1757) first published The Sylph anonymously in 1779. She was a close friend of Marie Antoinette and an ancestor of Diana Spencer.
Jonathan David Gross is a professor and the director of the DePaul University Humanities Center. He is the author of Byron: The Erotic Liberal, and editor of Byron’s “Corbeau Blanc”: The Life and Letters of Lady Melbourne, Emma, or the Unfortunate Attachment, and Thomas Jefferson's Scrapbooks: Poems of Family, Nation, and Romantic Love.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Slow to start but a great read!,
By concurrent1 "concurrent1" (Herndon, VA USA) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Sylph (Paperback)
I was very pleased with this book overall. It went from a slow start to a great read! It provides a glimpse into the life and times of the du monde of the period. On the downside, the book is one of the most poorly edited I've seen in a long time. Ran across many obvious misplaced works such as carnage in place of carriage. There were dangling lines and breaks in text as well as misspelled words. The editor did a very poor job. It does not detract much from the book which is still a very fun read.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Between OK and I LIKED IT (in an OK way),
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Sylph (Girlebooks Classics) (Kindle Edition)
I loved this womam after hearing/seeing her story. And was very intreaged by the beginning, Georgina writes in a males perspective. But as it went on I felt that it was very stop and go. There were pages where I just felt went on and on and others that I couldnt get enough of. I didnt care for the ending, but over all I guess I would say that I liked it.
3 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Sylph,
By Trish "book club reader" (St. Louis) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Sylph (European Classics) (Paperback)
the book came in great shape and very quickly! It took a little longer to read it (slow start) than to ship it.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Browse and search another edition of this book.
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
