Books by Eliza Haywood

The Fatal Secret: Or, Constancy in Distress (1724) is a novel by Eliza Haywood. Blending tragedy and comedy, Haywood explores the intersection of ambition, family, and desire to reveal how women so often fall victim to the whims of villainous men. The Fatal Secret: Or, Constancy in Distress is considered a prime example of the popular genre of amatory fiction, which often used love triangles to expose the imbalance between male and female desire in a patriarchal society. ¿Nothing is so generally coveted by Womankind, as to be accounted Beautiful; yet nothing renders the Owner more liable to inconveniences.¿ Getting by on looks alone, young Anadea has managed to secure herself a marriage proposal from a wealthy gentleman. Pressured by her father, she believes it is up to her to renew her once-prominent family¿s fortune and status in eighteenth century Paris. One night, she falls in love with the handsome Count Blessure. Although he reciprocates her feelings, he is keenly aware of his own family¿s prejudice against the poor, no matter the nobility of their ancestors. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Eliza Haywood¿s The Fatal Secret: Or, Constancy in Distress is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless (1751) is a novel by Eliza Haywood. Blending tragedy and comedy, Haywood explores the intersection of ambition, family, and desire to reveal how women so often fall victim to the whims of men. The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless has been recognized as one of the first novels in English literature to depict the development of an independent heroine, as well as to move away from the more popular genre of amatory fiction toward the marriage plot. Widely read in the eighteenth century, Haywood influenced such authors as Fanny Burney and Jane Austen. Having completed her education at an all-girls boarding school, Betsy Thoughtless moves to the city of London. For the first time, she finds herself thrust into the orbit of young and marriageable men, whose attention and affections she craves, though remains cautious to reciprocate. Betsy knows the dangers inherent to sexual impropriety-pregnancy out of wedlock would all but guarantee her a life of poverty and misfortune, not to mention the shame it would bring to her aristocratic family. Despite these pressures, Betsy finds a way to enjoy single life while learning to recognize the signs of deceitful, unworthy men. When marriage does come, she soon realizes the institution is far from perfect. Unhappy, she grows as a person and looks for a way to regain her former independence. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Eliza Haywood's The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Mercenary Lover (1726) is a novel by Eliza Haywood. Blending tragedy and comedy, Haywood explores the intersection of ambition, family, and desire to reveal how women so often fall victim to the whims of villainous men. The Mercenary Lover is considered a prime example of the popular genre of amatory fiction, which often used love triangles to expose the imbalance between male and female desire in a patriarchal society. Miranda and Althea are young, beautiful, and wealthy. Regardless of their individual merits, however, they both fall victim to unbridled desire in the form of the dastardly Clitander. When he chooses Miranda, she counts herself lucky and prepares for a life of passion and companionship. Meanwhile, the young man begins fantasizing about what he could do with her inheritance, and soon hatches a plan to take control of their family estate. What follows is a tale of betrayal and greed, a series of tragic events that threatens to divide two sisters forever. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Eliza Haywood¿s The Mercenary Lover is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

Fantomina: Or, Love in a Maze (1725) is a novel by Eliza Haywood. Blending tragedy and comedy, Haywood revolutionizes the novel by turning the common trope of the persecuted maiden on its head. A story of individual autonomy and sexual freedom, Fantomina: Or, Love in a Maze is considered a prime example of the popular genre of amatory fiction, which often exposes the imbalance between male and female desire in a patriarchal society. Fantomina is an independent woman, a prostitute for whom desire is a powerful tool. Celia, an innocent country girl, is a young maiden unfamiliar with the ways of love. Mrs. Bloomer, a widow, knows what it is to love and to lose. Incognita is a mysterious masked woman who meets with men in the dead of night. Each of these women is involved sexually with Beauplaisir, a vain and handsome aristocrat. But they have something else in common¿all four lovers are, in fact, the same woman, an unnamed narrator whose infatuation with freedom and innate curiosity lead her on a quest to experience desire in a multitude of ways. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Eliza Haywood¿s Fantomina: Or, Love in a Maze is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.

"The Fortunate Foundlings" is a picaresque novel from 1744 featuring twins Horatio and Louisa, whose journey in the world differs because of their gender. They were both abandoned in infancy and adopted, but soon leave their carer to go off on their one. Whilst Louisa must fight to preserve her virtue in a man’s world, her brother joins the army. This is an eighteenth century rollercoaster - action packed, passionate, melodramatic, and at times unashamedly sentimental.Eliza Haywood (1693– 1756), née Elizabeth Fowler, was a British author, actress and publisher, who was rediscovered in the 1980s. Little is known about the author, who herself left conflicting information about her life, and was extremely secretive about her personal life. She was a prolific author of romances and other novel’s focusing on women’s point of views, status, and rights. Among her most famous works are "Love in Excess; Or, The Fatal Enquiry" (1720), "Fantomina; Or Love in a Maze" (1725) and "The Anti-Pamela; Or Feign’d Innocence Detected" (1741). Haywood is an important figure of 18th century literature.

Most critics will acknowledge the enormous contributions Eliza Haywood made towards the development of the novel, but are often silent about her shorter fiction. Included in this volume are four of her most notable shorter pieces: "The British Recluse" (1722), "Fantomina" (1724), "The Fatal Secret" (1724), and "The City Jilt" (1726).

The History of Jemmy and Jenny Jessamy, originally published as three volumes in 1753, is the last work by the prolific English novelist Eliza Haywood. Out of print since the early nineteenth century and never available in an edited and fully-annotated modern edition such as this, Haywood's novel is an important early example of the sentimental novel of domestic manners. In its depiction of marriage and courtship among the leisure class of the mid-eighteenth century, Haywood's novel is remarkable for its unsentimental realism.

Eliza Haywood (1693?-1756) was one of the first women in England to earn a living writing fiction.

A novel originally published in 1751, in which the heroine is courted by several eligible suitors. However her flirtations alienate the right man and she finds herself struggling with the consequences of marrying the wrong man.

This edition provides representative texts from Eliza Haywood's career, which overlaps that of Daniel Defoe, Samuel Richardson, and Henry Fielding. The six fictions and two plays provided here illustrate the many kinds of writing she produced, and the ways she treated important themes and issues.

In the 1740s and 50s Eliza Haywood, novelist, edited several serial newspapers, including "The Female Spectator", which was written with a markedly female audience in mind. This text contains selections of this modern periodical both written by a woman and addressed to a female audience.