
Cecilia, a well‑educated heiress, finds herself caught between the comforts of her genteel upbringing and the pressing worries of her family. Her brother’s recent illness has left the household scrambling for resources, and the prospect of his departure abroad adds both hope and anxiety. Determined to protect her family’s reputation while grappling with limited finances, she turns to familiar acquaintances for aid, even as the weight of expectation presses upon her.
When she visits Miss Belfield, the conversation quickly shifts to the practicalities of her brother’s recovery and the costly plans for his future. The exchange reveals Cecilia’s sharp wit and her uneasy balance between compassion for her loved ones and the desire for personal independence. As she navigates these delicate negotiations, listeners are drawn into a world of polite society where duty, affection, and financial reality intertwine, setting the stage for the choices Cecilia must soon confront.
Language
en
Duration
~10 hours (617K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Text file produced by Delphine Lettau, Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team HTML file produced by David Widger
Release date
2004-12-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1752–1840
Best known for sharp, lively novels such as Evelina and Cecilia, this English writer helped shape the novel of manners with wit, social insight, and an eye for awkward human comedy. Her journals and letters also left behind one of the richest firsthand records of literary and court life in late 18th-century Britain.
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