Mr. Lovel as the Pretentious Fool in Fanny Burney's Evelina

Introduction: Mr. Lovel and Social Satire in Evelina

Fanny Burney's novel Evelina; or, the History of a Young Lady's Entrance into the World is a comical examination of the societal norms of eighteenth-century Britain and an evolving study of the roles of men and women. The novel operates on the basis of social order, but other complex themes deserve attention alongside its more obvious concerns. Beneath the satire, and comfortably placed next to comedy, Burney hints at the role of men and their significance during this period. We are accustomed to exploring the nature of young women in novels of this era, and even the relationships between men and women as they navigate courtesy and contention. Mr. Lovel is the antithesis of polite society, and the most captivating aspect of his character is that he is entirely unaware of his place within it. Burney establishes Mr. Lovel as the pretentious fool of the novel, indicating that male virtue is far from what it could be in a world that revolves around social finesse and charming graces.

While the novel is told from a female perspective of life in the eighteenth century, it also provides a glimpse into how men operated within that same world. Mr. Lovel is a minor character who turns out to be a major player. He is significant for several reasons — all of them ingeniously orbiting social graces and real virtue. As a character, he helps to illustrate that Burney's satirical vision in Evelina extends well beyond the experiences of its heroine.

Lovel as Evelina's Unwitting Social Instructor

Mr. Lovel is important to the development of the novel because he helps Evelina understand exactly what is expected of her as a young woman living in London. While she does not like him and is immediately repelled by his condescending attitude, she must still remember where she is and adhere to certain social customs. Her behavior in certain circles matters more than her personal feelings toward anyone who makes her uncomfortable or repulsed — and who better to teach her this lesson than the very person who repulses her most? When she shuns him, we see that while she is being honest about her feelings, there is no place for such honesty in British society, and she becomes — unfairly — the rude individual.

This is a sad fact and an even sadder lesson for Evelina to learn. Waldo Glock observes that Evelina is "being true to herself, yet discovers that Lovel accuses her of ill-manners... Evelina discovers the law by which polite society functions, a law which implies that a pretense of courtesy and good-will is preferable to an uninhibited expression of feeling" (Glock 35). This scene and this first lesson set the tone for the rest of the novel in regard to Mr. Lovel. We do not like him just as our heroine does not like him, because he is ostentatious and phony.

Appearance, Reality, and the Hypocrisy of Politeness

There is a deeper lesson involved here that engages another major theme in the novel: the distinction between appearance and reality. Evelina is accused of displaying bad manners, yet she is innocent because she did not intend to be rude. Mr. Lovel, on the other hand, behaves the way he does while fully conscious of every move he makes and why. The irony becomes increasingly comical the more one considers it. Glock agrees with this notion, adding that the "art of judging the difference between appearance and reality... is not easily learned or discriminatingly applied in practice" (Glock). The entire basis of manners and etiquette can be traced to some form of distinguishing between what is real and what is not — though this is not always made explicit. The conventions of society are not always practiced by the most polite, and the most polite are not always aware of proper etiquette, as we find with Evelina. Glock observes that she learns that the "spontaneous expression of her feelings invites a retaliatory reflex on the part of society" (Glock). One of the first lessons she learns regarding social etiquette can be traced directly to the absurd Mr. Lovel.

At no point in the novel does Evelina change her feelings toward this man. She may need to become accustomed to certain behaviors, but that does not mean she must display false airs. When she encounters him again at the theater, she refers to him as "the same odious creature who had been my former tormentor" (Burney 55). Her feelings remain exactly as they were before, and upon seeing him again at the play, she describes him as a man of "foppery and impertinence" (Burney 132). After their encounter at the play, she writes:

"But how malicious and impertinent is this creature to talk to me in such a manner! I am sure I hope I shall never see him again. I should have despised him heartily as a fop, had he never spoken to me at all; but now, that he thinks proper to resent his supposed ill-usage, I am really quite afraid of him" (Burney 139).

Evelina may not be able to express herself outwardly in public, but she has no qualms about revealing her true feelings on paper. This "weak and frivolous" (139) man is also teaching her something about how men carry themselves in social circles. Mr. Lovel is responsible for the "first stage" (Glock, "Paradox" 130) of Evelina's education, and it is her encounter with him that forces her to understand that to "follow the 'open path' of honor and virtue seems to require her acceptance of the conventional rules of propriety" (130). This raises the question of honor and virtue among male characters. While it is commonly understood that men and women were regarded and treated as fundamentally different during this period, Burney quickly establishes that this difference does not always produce proper men — and Mr. Lovel is the character who drives that point home.

Conclusion: Lovel's Role in Balancing the Novel's Social Critique

Evelina; or, the History of a Young Lady's Entrance into the World allows readers to encounter one of the most interesting character types of its era — the pretentious man who has no idea how foolish he appears. Mr. Lovel offers insight into human nature by confirming that such people never go away and never seem to evolve beyond their current state. He provides a comedic counterpoint to the scrutiny placed on women and their behavior, becoming the fool while the heroine moves on to better things. Fanny Burney was remarkably skilled at using comic minor characters to make pointed social arguments, and Lovel is perhaps her sharpest instrument in this novel.

Evelina has something to look forward to; Mr. Lovel has only his own vanity for company. In the end, he possesses less grace and charm than the supposedly ill-mannered protagonist, and everyone can see it but him. The role of Mr. Lovel balances the playing field and, as a result, becomes the most revealing element of the novel's broader social critique.

Works Cited

Burney, Frances. Evelina; or, the History of a Young Lady's Entrance into the World. Girlebooks Publications, 1778.

Cutting-Gray, Joanne. "Evelina: Writing between Experience and Innocence." Woman as 'Nobody' and the Novels of Fanny Burney. University Press of Florida, 1992. EBSCO Resource Database.

Glock, Waldo. "Appearance and Reality: The Education of Evelina." Essays in Literature. JSTOR Resource Database.

Moler, Kenneth. "Evelina in Vanity Fair: Becky Sharp and Her Patrician Heroes." Nineteenth-Century Fiction. 1972. JSTOR Resource Database.

Newton, Judith. "Evelina: Or, the History of a Young Lady's Entrance into the Marriage Market." Modern Language Studies. 1976. JSTOR Resource Database.

Staves, Susan. "Evelina; or, Female Difficulties." Modern Philology. 1976. JSTOR Resource Database.