Language In Clarissa, Evelina And Pride And Prejudice

For all the recent criticism dealing with the
importance of names and naming in Burney's novel, Sir
Louis Namier reminds us that although a name is a
"weighty symbol," it is "liable to variations; descent
traced in the male line only" (19). Namier declares the
estate becomes the family identification, implying that
the length and greatness of a family, as a name often
changes. Primogeniture and entails help psychologically
to preserve the family and its position through
successive generations, thereby fixing a conscious
identification through succession rather than name (20).
This is the competitive nature of inheritance
language in Evelina. Though Evelina may well be
searching for her identity and her name, she must
ultimately find her father and prove her lineage in
relation to his estate. Further, Evelina is not the only
character influenced by inheritance. The veracity and
sincerity of Mr. Villars are affected, as well. He, of
all people, should be versed in titles and inheritance.
Through the movement of the plot and the effective
silencing of Mr. Villars, Evelina is able to realize her
identity through her marriage to Lord Orville. His
decision to have her as his wife before he knows her
identity asserts the relative unimportance of her name