Language In Clarissa, Evelina And Pride And Prejudice

The language of inheritance is duplicitous within
Evelina. It is used both for and against the successful
arrival of Evelina to her rightful place within society.
Individual worth was part of Burney's consciousness as
she wrote. The voices of those who surround Evelina are
troubling at best. Those closest to her often seem to be
those who cause her the most harm. Principal among them
is Mr. Villars.
Guarding Evelina
Holy among men is Mr. Villars. He is "virtuous" in
the eyes of Patricia Meyers Spacks, "paternal, " and
"private" for David Oakleaf (177,353,355) . Mr. Villars,
however, is more problematic than good when his personal
relationship with inheritance and its language come under
scrutiny. As Julia Epstein observes in The Iron Pen,
"Villars' character and his motives are perhaps the least
examined in this novel, and critics have ignored him
precisely because they have assumed his benignity" (103).
First, we must consider the problem of his name. If
Evelina Anville is anagrammatic of her true name, as
suggested by Doody, Pawl and others, one can see easily
that Villars is closely suggestive of "villain" or even