Evelina, Volume 2, Letters 7-22 (38-53)

Summary
Reverend Villars reluctantly agrees to let Evelina stay with Madame Duval and the Branghtons in London for a month rather than let her allow her to return to France with the estranged grandmother. Evelina meets the Branghton’s boarder, Mr. Macartney, a poor Scottish poet. Later, Evelina comes across Mr. Macartney attempting, what she believes to be, suicide and she stops him. When Mr. Macartney recovers he is touched by Evelina’s kindness and is forever indebted to her.
While at Vauxhall with the Branghton brood and her new unwanted suitor, Mr. Smith, Evelina and the Miss Branghtons separate from the group. They are accosted by a group of brutes who manhandle Evelina. She is then saved by none other than Sir Clement. The persistent lover then manages to scheme his way into sharing a coach with Evelina so he can find out where she is staying.

Evelina finds herself back with the Branghtons in a pleasure garden, this time, Marybone-Gardens (aka Marylebone Gardens). Once again she becomes separated from the group and is rescued by two prostitutes. When Evelina and her two new friends find the party Evelina is horrified when the prostitutes decide to also join the party. Queue Lord Orville’s arrival to witness the motley crew. The next day Lord Orville arrives in Holborn to ask Evelina about the two women he saw her with and is relieved to find out that they aren’t normal acquaintances.

Discuss
The name of the game this week is “trashy” because that is all I can think of whenever the Branghtons are in the picture. They are so socially unaware of what is acceptable. If I were to travel back in time, I know I would make a few social faux-pas due to the contemporary rules of etiquette but the Branghtons crass-ness transcends time to the point where I am aghast. When the awful Madame Duval told them her sad tale of the Captain’s haywire prank the Branghtons all laugh at her! I think we all know what they really think of their French relative now.

Evelina’s letter from June 10 (XXII) is packed with all sort of juice. It begins with an invitation from Mr. Smith to the Hampstead assembly which Evelina must decline as it would not be proper for her to attend unchaperoned (plus, ew!). Mr Smith has let on that he is more refined than the trashy Branghtons but hillbillies tend to habitate with other hillbillies, and Smith reveals himself as just as unrefined as them by not understanding the impropriety in inviting Evelina.

In a letter dated the following day Evelina writes to the Reverend with some disturbing news. The Scottish lodger made a suicide attempt virtually before Evelina’s eyes and had she not been there, he would have probably succeeded. The character of Macartney is a bit mysterious (I personally picture him to look somewhat like John Keats) and these major events cement him in Burney’s tale. But we as readers haven’t the faintest idea what Burney has in store for us with regards to Mr. Macartney just yet.

Evelina is unfortunate enough to have two negative pleasure garden experiences. These London gardens aren’t very pleasurable for her (ba-dum dish)! In the first, she is mistaken for an actress, aka prostitute, by some ruffians, and once again has no choice but to be saved by Sir Clement. The free license these men take with Evelina was pretty eye-opening to how women, particularly those alone were treated by men. At Marylebone it is those “actresses” whom Evelina was previously mistaken for who now save Evelina from men with ill-intentions (no wonder women didn’t go anywhere by themselves). It seems like this occasion was the one time Sir Clement didn’t happen to be around; but I did just die for Evelina when Lord Orville appeared. The poor thing. I am sure she wants him back in her life just as much as I, but not like this, no not at all. However, the fact that he checked in on her the day after their reunion had my hopes up. I was also quite impressed that he was able to find her despite only knowing she was in Holborn. It brought to mind Pride and Prejudice 1995 when Mr. Darcy was scouring the streets of London for Lydia and Wickham. Now where’s that fainting sofa?

Evelina’s time with her dear grandmamma is almost up. That means no more London no more Branghtons. Madame Duval still thinks that she can manage to bring Evelina to Paris, but neither she nor her guardian are going to let that happen. Yet we are halfway through the book. What are your predictions for when Evelina is freed from this trashy crowd? And more importantly, Evelina just reunited with Lord Orville, what will become of the two’s relationship when Evelina leaves London?  And do we even care? I know I do but it seems many of our readers just aren't as smitten with Lord Orville as I.

In this grouping of chapters we are also introduced to many of the attractions of London of the time, many of which are gone now.  All the famous pleasure gardens Evelina manages to visit yet she also manages to have a bad experience there.  Has this book changed your view on  the highly romanticized London pleasure gardens?   (I'd still go!)

The Ladies Room

Have you ever walked into a public restroom with where the lavatories were exposed with no privacy barriers?  Yes, yes, men we know you use the urinals without a thought many times.  Well, the experience nowadays may send some ladies running for the hills but in bustling 18th century London, these were the types of public restrooms you got if you went somewhere posh.  While public restrooms weren't as common as they are today you could find them in popular watering holes for the rich such as Henry Kingsbury portrayed in his satire of the Vauxhall Garden Ladies Room.  His satire was an excuse to portray well-to-do, fashionable ladies doing something everyone does behind closed doors (just as many satires of women did) but it serves the great purpose now of giving us an idea, however exaggerated, of how ladies did their business in order to avoid lifting various layers of their robe a l'anglaise skirts while hiding behind a bush.

Vauxhall Gardens by Thomas Rowlandson

We can thank Thomas Rowlandson for such great insight into celebrity doings of the late 18th century. In one his more famous prints, Vauxhall Gardens, he congregates all the big social players of London at the time, doing what they do best. Although the two definitions can overlap, the difference between celebrities and historical figures is that celebrities fame is short-lived and they can be forgotten over time. One of the things I enjoy about Vauxhall Gardens is seeing which celebrities of the time are historical figures and who just faded into obscurity and is just a random name on a page.

Now let's see who I can point out for you!

On the left, in the dining box, is Samuel Johnson and his crowd. However, I will note that this is up for debate among historians as to whether this is true. Pigging out with him is Boswell, Goldsmith, and Mrs. Thrale.

Above them, singing to the crowd, is another figure historians haven't agreed on. Some say it is the celebrated singer, Mrs. Weichsel others say it is her daughter, Elizabeth Billington who surpassed her mother's fame. Leading the orchestra behind her is composer, François-Hippolyte Barthélémon.

Below her in the crowd, observing some fabulous ladies with his monocle is Topham Beauclerk. And who might those ladies be who are catching Topham's eye?

Dead center, is Georgiana (in white) and her sister Harriet, in a blue riding habit. Both ladies are gossiping away unaware of the fact they are being checked out. Fluttering around them are Admiral Paisley and the editor of the Morning Herald, Sir Henry Bate. Next to him in the kilt, is the editor of the rival publication, the Morning Chronicle, James Perry. What a gossipy grouping! Perhaps those journalists are following our favourite ladies around in order to find a good story to put in print.

If they would only direct their attention the other way they would see the ravishing Mary Perdita Robinson, accompanied by her loser husband. On the other side of her is none other than the Prince of Wales, whispering sweet nothings into her ear, despite the fact that in reality the lovers had disbanded by then.