'Lord Orville did me the honour to hand me to the coach; talking all the way of the honour I had done him! O these fashionable people!' Frances Burney's first and most enduringly popular novel is a vivid; satirical; and seductive account of the pleasures and dangers of fashionable life in late eighteenth-century London. As she describes her heroine's entry into society; womanhood and; inevitably; love; Burney exposes the vulnerability of female innocence in an image-conscious and often cruel world where social snobbery and sexual aggression are played out in the public arenas of pleasure-gardens; theatre visits; and balls. But Evelina's innocence also makes her a shrewd commentator on the excesses and absurdities of manners and social ambitions - as well as attracting the attention of the eminently eligible Lord Orville. Evelina; comic and shrewd; is at once a guide to fashionable London; a satirical attack on the new consumerism; an investigation of women's position in the late eighteenth century; and a love story. The new introduction and full notes to this edition help make this richness all the more readily available to a modern reader. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship; providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features; including expert introductions by leading authorities; helpful notes to clarify the text; up-to-date bibliographies for further study; and much more.