Item #124 Clarentine. Frances Burney Title: Clarentine, Fanny.
Clarentine
Clarentine
Clarentine
Clarentine
Clarentine

Clarentine

Publisher: Paris: Mme Vᵉ H. Perronneau, 1819.

Edition: First French edition of this translation, 4 volumes bound in 2

Binding: Contemporary half red morocco over marbled boards, gilt-tooled spines with floral motifs and volume numbers. Rubbed with some losses to spine leather, but sound and decorative.

Description: A scarce Parisian edition of Frances Burney’s Clarentine, here translated into French by Mme Élisabeth de Bon and issued in 1819 in four volumes (bound in two). Burney—later Madame d’Arblay—was one of the most celebrated women novelists of the late 18th century. With works such as Evelina, Cecilia, and Camilla, she transformed the English novel of manners and sentiment, influencing an entire generation of readers and writers.

Crucially, Burney’s fiction was a direct inspiration for Jane Austen, who read and admired her works deeply; indeed, Austen’s own Pride and Prejudice draws upon themes and techniques first developed in Burney’s novels. For this reason, Burney is now recognized as one of the true founders of women’s literature in English.

This French translation testifies to her international impact, bringing Burney’s voice into Restoration-era Paris, a time of renewed Anglo-French cultural exchange. Surviving complete sets of early French editions are increasingly scarce on the market.

Condition: contemporary half morocco rubbed with losses to spines, marbled boards scuffed, but bindings holding well; interiors moderately foxed yet complete.

For collectors of Jane Austen, women’s literature, or Anglo-French literary history, this is a particularly appealing volume: a tangible piece of the chain of influence connecting Burney’s pioneering heroines to Austen’s immortal ones.

Condition: Good; rubbed and worn at spines, moderate foxing, but complete.

Annotation: Scarce 1819 French edition of Frances Burney’s Clarentine, translated by Mme Élisabeth de Bon, 4 vols in 2, a key women’s literary text bridging Burney and Austen.

Item #124

Price: $700.00

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