Hannah Webster Foster

Reproduction of the original: The Coquette by Hannah Webster Foster

The Coquette

Or, The History of Eliza Wharton : a Novel Founded on Fact

William Wells Brown

Written in epistolary form and drawn from actual events, Brown’s The Power of Sympathy (1789) and Foster’s The Coquette (1797) were two of the earliest novels published in the United States. Both novels reflect the eighteenth-century preoccupation with the role of women as safekeepers of the young country’s morality.

The Power of Sympathy and The Coquette

Hannah Webster Foster (1758-1840) was an American novelist. In the 1770s she began writing political articles for Boston newspapers. Her epistolary novel, The Coquette; or, The History of Eliza Wharton, was published anonymously in 1797. In 1798, she published The Boarding School; or, Lessons of a Preceptress to Her Pupils, a commentary on female education in the United States.

The Coquette; Or, the History of Eliza Wharton (Dodo Press)

This book is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS series. The creators of this series are united by passion for literature and driven by the intention of making all public domain books available in printed format again - worldwide. At tredition we believe that a great book never goes out of style. Several mostly non-profit literature projects provide content to tredition. To support their good work, tredition donates a portion of the proceeds from each sold copy. As a reader of a TREDITION CLASSICS book, you support our mission to save many of the amazing works of world literature from oblivion.

The Coquette the History of Eliza Wharton

Founded on Fact

The Coquette; Or, The History of Eliza Wharton, a Novel

Or, Lessons of a Preceptress to Her Pupils; Consisting of Information, Instruction, and Advice, Calculated to Improve the Manners, and Form the Character of Young Ladies. To which is Added, a Collection of Letters, Written by the Pupils, to Their Instructress, Their Friends, and Each Other

The Boarding School

Jennifer Harris

Bryan Waterman

The texts are joined with a detailed introduction to Foster's legacy and Elizabeth Whitman's life along with explanatory annotations and a note on the text. "Sources and Contexts" unearths a wealth of original material about the environment the works were produced in and the real-life people who inspired them. The three sections, "On Coquetry," "The Life and Death of Elizabeth Whitman," and "The Nineteenth-Century Legacy," include new and corrected transcriptions of Whitman's letters to Ruth and Joel Barlow, an inventory of items found at Whitman's room at her death, popular representations of Elizabeth Whitman, and unauthorized sequels to The Coquette. Seven illustrations, including three of Eliza Wharton, are included to enrich the reading experience. "Criticism" brings together nine diverse contemporary interpretations. Contributors include Carroll Smith-Rosenberg, Claire C. Pettengill, Julia A. Stern, Gillian Brown, Jeffrey H. Richards, and Gwendolyn Audrey Foster, among others.

Hannah Webster Foster

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