Memoirs of Miss Sidney Bidulph

Description

A sentimental classic, Memoirs of Miss Sidney Bidulph is one of the pivotal novels of 18th century literature. Being at the center of many particular influential currents, it is essentially a love story that explores the difficulties associated with female distress in romantic relationships.

Francis Sheridan paints a detailed picture of 18th century aristocracy and outlines Miss Sidney as a complex, virtuous, communicative and unassuming young woman. Her emotional responses, however, begin to change after the disaster caused in her life by her first engagement. As she learns that her fiancé has been in a previous relationship, and the affair had led to pregnancy, Miss Sidney was distraught, breaking off the engagement, and eventually finding someone else.

Even while in this new relationship, however, she is not free of her ex-fiancé, nor his mistress. They constantly make renewed appearances in her life, complicating matters, and setting the stage for a complex moral lesson that Sheridan is able to gradually craft into a beautiful novel with remarkable skill.

The main theme of the novel has to do with the difficulty of maintaining oneself as virtuous in a world where strict moral and societal mores are commonplace. Miss Sidney has particular difficulty in following these rules when they conflict with her strong emotions, and her attempt to step on her basic impulses and follow the societal “laws” of proper conduct lead her to many problematic challenges that cause her a great deal of distress.

This outstanding melodrama is also linked to the financial difficulties and aspirations that romantic relationships in the high society of the 18th century are commonly associated with. The theme of a gentle, kind and sensitive woman in a world she sees as challenging – and even “evil” – is prevalent throughout the story, making the Memoirs of Miss Sidney Bidulph a truly worthwhile read overall.
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