About this ebook
With an introduction by John Mullan
Meet the Percys and Falconers, neighbouring families, each with three sons and two daughters to launch into Regency society. The hardworking, independently minded and dutiful Percys are happy to work their way up in the world but are undermined by their scheming rivals who use patronage to grab at instant fame and fortune. With their sons eased into lucrative but ill-suited diplomatic and clerical jobs, and their daughters bankrupting themselves to scale the heights of fashion, the Falconers are heading for a tumble; while the moral steadiness and strong family ties of the Percys allow them to attain both the heights of their chosen professions and a glittering match.
A Regency bestseller with a clear message for our times.
Meet the Percys and Falconers, neighbouring families, each with three sons and two daughters to launch into Regency society. The hardworking, independently minded and dutiful Percys are happy to work their way up in the world but are undermined by their scheming rivals who use patronage to grab at instant fame and fortune. With their sons eased into lucrative but ill-suited diplomatic and clerical jobs, and their daughters bankrupting themselves to scale the heights of fashion, the Falconers are heading for a tumble; while the moral steadiness and strong family ties of the Percys allow them to attain both the heights of their chosen professions and a glittering match.
A Regency bestseller with a clear message for our times.
About the author
Maria Edgeworth (1768-1849) was one of the most successful authors of Regency England. She was read and admired by Jane Austen, Walter Scott, Byron, Turgenev and Ruskin - who declared her books 'the most re-readable in existence'.
John Mullan is a Professor of English at UCL and contributes regularly to Newsnight Review, LRB and New Statesman.
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