Emmeline - Publication and Reception

Publication and Reception

Emmeline was published in four volumes by Thomas Cadell in April 1788 and sold for twelve shillings. The first edition of 1500 copies sold out quickly and a corrected second edition was quickly issued. The novel was so successful that Cadell paid her more than he had promised, altogether 200 guineas. Four additional editions were published before the end of the 18th century and five during the 19th century. The novel was translated into French, with six editions of L’Orpheline du Chateau appearing before 1801. There was also a Philadelphia edition in 1802. The novel was not reprinted in the 20th century until Oxford University Press’s 1971 edition.

In general, the novel was "warmly received" and "the reviewers were mainly complimentary". The Critical Review compared it favorably with Frances Burney's Cecilia, particularly the detail of its characterization. The Monthly Review praised it generally, saying "the whole is conducted with a considerable degree of art; that the characters are natural, and well discriminated: that the fable is uncommonly interesting; and that the moral is forcible and just". Mary Wollstonecraft, who reviewed the novel anonymously for the Analytical Review did not agree with the majority of reviewers, however. She "lamented" "that the false expectations these wild scenes excite, tend to debauch the mind, and throw an insipid kind of uniformity over the moderate and rational prospects of life, consequently adventures are sought for and created, when duties are neglected, and content despised." However, she did single out the virtuous character of Mrs. Stafford for praise.