Language In Clarissa, Evelina And Pride And Prejudice

culture without the help of a father, brother or lover,
she must be either a Mrs. Beaumont or a Mrs. Selwyn,
distinct opposites in a patriarchal society (51). One
must either adopt the values dictated by upper class male
society or marginalize oneself by adopting upper class
male behavior as one's own. Through Mrs. Beaumont and
Mrs. Selwyn, Burney shows us the problematic outcome of
doing either. Through Mrs. Mirvan and Madame Duval, we
are shown extremes, one sad, the other ludicrous.
Burneyfs final statement about Mrs. Selwyn lies in
the success Mrs. Selwyn has in uniting Evelina with her
father. Mrs. Selwyn' s birth has little to do with her
virtue. The same is true for Mr. Villars. He lacks the
virtue necessary to carry out the duties he is charged
with for three generations of Evelyns. Mrs. Selwynf s
marriage and subsequent inheritance puts her in position
to facilitate Evelina' s final journey to acceptance and
her own inheritance. She, unlike Villars, uses her
position and power to act and speak and ultimately to
right wrongs.