False Domesticity: Hidden Secrets in Maria Edgeworth's "Harry and Lucy Concluded"

Abstract

This thesis provides information concerning the recent discovery of a signed, first-edition copy of Maria Edgeworth‘s Harry and Lucy Concluded. In order to address the historical, literary, and societal implications of the find, the thesis investigates the identity of the novel‘s original owner in connection with Edgeworth‘s political beliefs and cognitive writing strategies. As an eccentric inventor and member of the British parliament, the original owner of the text also gains additional significance as the inspiration for characters in Edgeworth‘s Harry and Lucy Concluded and Charles Dickens‘s David Copperfield.