The History of the Countess of Dellwyn

Abstract

In September 6, 1758 letter, Fielding reports that she will begin working on the translation when she has "finished writing some Stuff that I am now about". Her reference is almost certainly to her novel The History of the Countess of Dellwyn , which she was working on throughout 1758 and which would be published in March 1759. Fielding's depiction of Lady Dellwyn's sexual history demonstrates that she remained an ethically grounded writer committed to helping her readers make good decisions and avoid the dangers to which her protagonist succumbs. While Fielding acknowledges the kind of suffering that can be caused by irresponsible, distant landowners, she also makes clear that Lord Dellwyn's actions originate not with his social privilege, but with his education. Moreover, Fielding replaces Iago's fascinatingly inexplicable evil with Captain Drumond's recognizable ambition and resentment and Othello's consuming jealousy with Lord Dellwyn's far-more-prosaic desire to rid himself of a disagreeable spouse.

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