The Coquette

Bol

Eliza Wharton longs for freedom, but in early America, freedom comes at a price. Based on a true story, The Coquette is a powerful exploration of reputation, desire and constraint, offering a subtle yet enduring critique of the narrow choices available to women in the young republic. A spirited heroine, a divided heart and a society quick to judge Published anonymously in 1797, The Coquette became one of early America’s most widely read novels. Inspired by the real-life story of Elizabeth Whitman, whose death in scandal captured the imagination of the new republic, the novel follows the intelligent and charming Eliza Wharton as she navigates the conflicting expectations of friendship, freedom, courtship and reputation. Recently released from an unwanted engagement, Eliza delights in her independence, but finds herself caught between the attentions of a pious suitor and a seductive libertine. As letters fly and judgements mount, The Coquette unfolds into a subtle yet powerful reflection on the limits of female agency and the cost of desire in a world that offers women little room to choose. This edition includes the full text of Hannah Webster Foster’s landmark novel, together with the 1855 Historical Preface by Jane E. Locke and Caroline Wells Healey Dall’s spirited 1875 response, The Romance of the Association. Together, they offer readers a rare glimpse into the literary afterlife of Eliza Wharton—and the real-life figure who inspired her. With notes and an introduction by L.A. Davenport. A spirited heroine. A dangerous flirtation. A society unwilling to forgive. Published anonymously in 1797, The Coquette quickly became one of the most widely read novels of early America. Inspired by the real-life story of Elizabeth Whitman—an intelligent and accomplished young woman whose tragic death became a national scandal—Hannah Webster Foster’s epistolary novel explores the pressures placed on women in a world that offers them few real choices. Eliza Wharton is recently released from an unwanted engagement and eager to enjoy her freedom. But her charm and independence attract unwanted scrutiny, especially when she becomes the object of attention from both a respectable clergyman and a dangerously attractive libertine. As the letters fly and public judgement closes in, Eliza’s story becomes a subtle but powerful meditation on reputation, agency and the human cost of social conformity. This P-Wave Classics edition includes: The full text of Foster’s original 1797 novel The 1855 Historical Preface by Jane E. Locke Caroline Wells Healey Dall’s 1875 response, The Romance of the Association Together, they offer a rare glimpse into the literary afterlife of The Coquette and the fierce cultural debate surrounding the woman who inspired it. Edited with notes and an introduction by L.A. Davenport.

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Pages: 428, Edition: P-Wave Classics ed., Paperback, P-Wave Classics