The Old Manor House
 Title page of the first edition | |
| Author | Charlotte Smith |
|---|---|
Publication date | 1793 |
The Old Manor House is a novel by Charlotte Smith, first published in 1793.[1] The plot tells the love story of a gentleman, Orlando Somerive, and his aunt's servant, Monimia Morysine. The novel blends gothic, sentimental, and political narrative techniques[2][3] to present a "polemical romance,"[4] depicting the American revolution of the 1770s to comment on the ongoing French revolution of the 1790s.[3][5] Smith particularly critiqued the injustices of war[4] and property laws.[1] The Old Manor House is sometimes considered the best of Charlotte Smith's ten novels,[1][3] drawing particular praise for its deep characterization, engaging plot, and descriptions of nature.[3]
Smith composed the novel between August 1792 and January 1793, a period when the French Revolution was growing more violent.[3] Smith was sympathetic to the political goals of the French revolutionaries.[3] Her previous novel, Desmond (1792), was explicitly political in its depiction of contemporary events, and received strong criticism for its pro-French ideas.[3] As anti-French sentiment grew even stronger in England, Smith grew less direct about her political ideas; The Old Manor House expresses similar ideals as Smith's earlier work, but filtered through her country's recent history rather than current events.[3]
References
External links
- The Old Manor House at Women Writers Online.
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