The 18th Century Marriage Market as per Evelina’s Lord Orville and Sir Clement Willoughby

The dialogue between Lord Orville and Sir Clement Willoughby in volume 3, letter 14, Evelina to the Rev. Mr. Villars, of Evelina: Or the History of a Young Woman’s Entrance into the World by Frances Burney (266), illuminates the inner-workings of the 18th Century England marriage market to include: what aspects of a woman are most marketable; how a woman ought to market herself (by not marketing herself) in it; what interior and exterior features of women men of quality most valued, and thus were willing to pay the ultimate price–marriage–for; and how men projected their social status via their taste in women in much the same way that their tastes, with regard to clothes and objects for their 18th Century audience, illuminated their character. Lord Orville defends his evolved opinion on Evelina–not only his right to change his opinion but also the nuanced sense of taste this shows in his character and ability to discern value where others may not–as he simultaneously, honorably defends her to Sir Clement Willoughby. In this scene, Lord Orville and Sir Clement’s novel-long confrontation comes to a head, on the subject of this country girl of beauty and obscurity making her “entrance into the world”; their rank in society both exalted, Lord Orville elevates himself further above Sir Clement than his initial Lord-versus-baronet status, by exposing that his  exterior (his actions to defend that woman) mirrors his interior (taste in women) thus revealing, and owning, his character (in both the literary and moral sense of the word):

‘It is very true,’ said Lord Orville, ‘that I did not, at our first acquaintance, do justice to the merit of Miss Anville; but I knew not, then, how she was to the world; at present, however, I am convinced, that whatever might appear strange in her behavior, was simply the effect of inexperience, timidity, and a retired education, for I find her informed, sensible, and intelligent. She is not, indeed, like most modern young ladies, to be known in half an hour; her modest worth, and fearful excellence, require both time and encouragement to shew themselves. She does not, beautiful as she is, seize the soul by surprise, but, with more dangerous fascination, she steals it almost imperceptively.’

‘Enough, my Lord,’ cried Sir Clement, ‘your solicitude for her welfare is now sufficiently explained.’

Earlier in the novel, when Evelina attended her first assembly, at which she met Lord Orville and Sir Clement, she remarked in a letter to her father figure that the young gentlemen “pass and repass, look[ing] as though they thought we were quite at their disposal … they [saunter] about, in a careless indecent manner, as if with a view to keep us in suspense.” With this scene in mind, we can view the actions of Lord Orville and Sir Clement through the eyes of Evelina’s first impression of the London marriage market. Evelina is “quite at their disposal” as they are free to “saunter about”–which Sir Clement does “in a careless indecent manner, as if with a view to keep” Evelina, and here, Lord Orville–even himself, in suspense. Sir Clement continues:

‘My intentions,’ cried he, ‘I will frankly own, are hardly known to myself. I think Miss Anville the loveliest of her sex, and, were I a marrying man, she, of all the women I have seen, I would fix upon for a wife: but I believe that not even the philosophy of your Lordship would recommend to me a connection of that sort, with a girl of obscure birth, whose only dowry is her beauty, and who is evidently in a state of dependency.’

‘Sir Clement,’ cried Lord Orville, with some heat, ‘we will discuss this point no further; we are both free agents, and must act for ourselves.’

Here, it is apparent that Sir Clement is a reckless consumer–he doesn’t really know what he wants, he says, until Lord Orville demands it of him, in the marriage market. This passage regarding his intentions for Evelina, reflects upon her as a commodity/object, through words like “own,” “fix upon,” “connection,” “dowry,” and “dependency.” Lord Orville becomes agitated, perhaps even enraged, at Sir Clement’s devaluing of one he so values, as he says they are both “free agents” who “must act” — shop — “for ourselves.”

In contrast, Evelina, due to her gender, it becomes strikingly apparent when Lord Orville proposes marriage, has little choice to “act” for herself. Her biological father, Sir John Belmont, is consulted and makes the final decision, though he has not “owned” her yet; the father whose consent she most desires, Mr. Villars, is consulted as an afterthought. While she lucks out with her marriage to Lord Orville, she could not “fix upon” Lord Orville as a husband the way that Sir Clement describes he might, were he the marrying type.

In London earlier in the novel, the crass Captain Mirvan provides a blunt commentary on women when he says of his daughter and Evelina, “‘Ay, to be sure, … Whatever’s the fashion, they must like of course.” This, while insensitive and at least borderline verbal abuse, reflects the norm of the market that women “must” follow “whatever’s the [exterior] fashion.” Whether they “like” it in fact, is a different matter–which Captain Mirvan is not as high-quality or careful a consumer of women as Lord Orville, to notice. What Evelina can do in this market situation, is to attract a high class “owner” which she does while being “inexperienced,” “fearful,” “informed,” “sensible,” and “intelligent.” Oh, and “beautiful.”

Lord Orville, by valuing and ultimately marrying Evelina, is separating himself from other, lower-connoisseurs of women: Evelina is to be valued in that “She is not, indeed, like most modern young ladies,” she is, in fact, like a piece of art not only to be valued, as Sir Clement does, for her being “the loveliest of her sex.” In essence, Sir Clement boasts not as deeply penetrating an eye for elegant design as Lord Orville; he does not see past the exterior value–which according to Lord Orville, could be “known in half an hour“–to her deep inner meaning. In his appreciation of Evelina, the idea of “Evelina” is a commodity through which, like the right piece of art, he can display his quality breeding by taking “both time and encouragement to shew” her value.

Finally, the different reasons for which Sir Clement and Lord Orville snap at one another to cease the conversation, permits the reader to penetrate deeper into their character by revealing what can drive these proper Englishmen to actually show emotion:

Sir Clement: ‘Enough, my Lord,’ cried Sir Clement, ‘your solicitude for her welfare is now sufficiently explained.’

Lord Orville: ‘Sir Clement,’ cried Lord Orville, with some heat, ‘we will discuss this point no further; we are both free agents, and must act for ourselves.’

Sir Clement cries “enough” after Lord Orville articulates Evelina’s value, while Lord Orville cries “with some heat” after Sir Clement takes a shot at his “personal philosophy” saying Evelina’s only dowry is her beauty.

Not only are they defending Evelina; through the idea of Evelina and all that she represents, they defend themselves—more specifically, their sense of self as expressed through taste in, and subjective perception of, objects (in this case, a woman) on the market.