
CECILIA, - or - MEMOIRS OF AN HEIRESS - Volume 1 (of 3) - By Frances Burney
PREFACE
BOOK I.
CHAPTER i. — A JOURNEY.
CHAPTER ii. — AN ARGUMENT.
CHAPTER iii. — AN ARRIVAL.
CHAPTER iv. — A SKETCH OF HIGH LIFE.
CHAPTER v. — AN ASSEMBLY.
CHAPTER vi. — A BREAKFAST.
CHAPTER vii. — A PROJECT.
In this lively portrait of 18th‑century England, a young heiress embarks on a journey that thrusts her from the sheltered world of her family’s estate into the bustling, often absurd, circles of London society. As she navigates fashionable gatherings, awkward introductions, and the expectations of a lineage tied to both privilege and responsibility, her keen observations expose the pretensions and hypocrisies of those around her.
Burney’s sharp wit and keen ear for dialogue bring a cast of memorable characters to life—proud matrons, scheming suitors, and well‑meaning but clueless gentlemen—each reflecting the era’s complex social hierarchies. The novel balances humor with genuine sentiment, offering a thoughtful look at the pressures of inheritance, the search for genuine affection, and the struggle to define one’s own identity amid constant scrutiny.
Through the heroine’s earnest letters and reflections, listeners are invited into a world where personal virtue and societal expectation clash, making for an engaging, thought‑provoking listen that captures both the charm and the challenges of its time.
Language
en
Duration
~10 hours (614K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Text file produced by Delphine Lettau, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. HTML file produced by David Widger
Release date
2004-08-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1752–1840
A sharp-eyed observer of Georgian society, she helped shape the English novel of manners with stories that are witty, socially exact, and still lively to read. Her novels and journals also preserve an unusually vivid picture of literary and court life in late 18th-century Britain.
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