Lifespan: 1752- 1840
Nationality: English
Genres: Romantic Period
Types of Work: Novels, Plays, Journals
Contemporaries: Sarah Burney
Other Names: Madame d'Arblay
Style: Novels explore the lives of English aristocrats- their social pretenses and personal foibles. Explores the social struggles of women. Noted for her wit and satirical caricatures, and comic element.
Bio: Born June 13, 1752 in Lynn Regis, England to Dr Charles Burney and Esther Sleepe, Fanny Burney was the third of six children. Her father was a musical historian.
By the age of eight, Frances still had not learned the alphabet. Her two sisters, favored by her father, were sent to Paris to be educated, and Fanny was left to educate herself. Some scholars believe she suffered from dyslexia, but, despite her disability, Fanny taught herself to read and write by reading from the family library. At the age of 16, she began her journaling habit, and kept extensive, detailed diaries of her life over the next 72 years.
Her first novel, Evelina, was published anonymously in 1778 due to her fathers disapproval of Fanny's writing pursuits as the idea of an authoress was radical at the time. She copied the book in a "disguised hand" so that her handwriting would not be recognized and herself identified. Her eldest brother posed as the author and pursued publishing for his sister. The book brought her instant success, and, after learning that the much celebrated author of Evelina was his own daughter, Charles Burney became supportive of his daughter and encouraged her to continue her writing.
Fanny earned the admiration of several prominent literary figures, such as Dr. Samuel Johnson, Edmund Burke, Hester Thrale and David Garrick. Jane Austen even modeled Pride and Prejudice from the final pages of Cecilia.
In 1786, Fanny accepted the post of "Second Keeper of the Robes" to Queen Charlotte. She developed a friendship with the Queen and Princess which continued into her later years. She kept the post until 1790, when she resigned, citing failing health. Her years at court are documented in her journals.
In 1791, Fanny became acquainted with a French exile by the name of General Alexandre D'Arblay, an artillery officer who served Lafayette during the French Revolution. Despite her father's disapproval, Fanny and Alexander were married July 28, 1793. In December of the following year, Fanny gave birth to a son, Alexander.
The young couple soon faced poverty, but the publication of Camilla, in 1796, provided them the financial relief they needed. The book's first edition sold out. She and her husband built a house in Westhumble with the proceeds, and named it "Camilla Cottage".
In 1802, the D'Arblay family moved to Paris, where Gen. D'Arblay was offered a position in the service of Napoleon. While there, Fanny began to develop pains in her breast. In 1811, she was diagnosed as having breast cancer, and underwent a mastectomy. As anesthetics had not yet been developed, Fanny was conscious through the operation, and her journals describe, in detail, what the procedure was like.
Gen. D'Arblay was wounded in the military actions following Napoleon's escape from Elba, and he and Fanny returned to England, settling in Bath. Alexandre died of cancer shortly afterwards, in 1818. Afterwards, Fanny moved to London to be near her son, who was a fellow at Christ's College. After his death in 1837, she again retired to Bath, and remained there until she died January 6, 1840. She was buried in Walcot cemetery in Bath, and a gravestone was erected at St Swithin's church.
Novels:
Camilla: or, A Picture of Youth
Cecilia: or, Memoirs of an Heiress
Evelina: or, The History of a Young Lady's Entrance Into the World
The Wanderer: or, Female Difficulties