The Danger of Silly Novels: An Examination of Female Education and Reading in Maria Edgeworth\u27s Belinda

Known for influencing widely studied authors such as Jane Austen and Sir Walter Scott, Maria Edgeworth is the author of nine novels, munerous children\u27s stories, and multiple educational texts that were influential and innovative, specifically in the ideas surrounding female education. Edgeworth\u27s Belinda, published in 1801, has been both attacked by critics for succumbing to societal gender expectations and praised for questioning them, especially in the contemporaneous debate about how women are educated and what they read. In spite of ambiguity in the reception by critics, Edgeworth reveals through her other texts and through her portrayal of female characters in Belinda that she supports women being educated in the same manner as men. This idea was progressive, as the appropriate way to educate women was a frequently debated, controversial issue in the historical context. The questioning of gender roles and proper education is important in many of Edgeworth\u27s writings, and comes to the forefront of Belinda\u27s themes. Her belief in practical female education echoes Mary Woolstonecraft\u27s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman published in 1792, nine years before her ideas are resonated in Belinda\u27s female characters