WRITER

Frances Burney

1752 - 1840

Photo of Frances Burney

Icon of person Frances Burney

Frances Burney (13 June 1752 – 6 January 1840), also known as Fanny Burney and later Madame d'Arblay, was an English satirical novelist, diarist and playwright. In 1786–1790 she held the post of "Keeper of the Robes" to Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, George III's queen. In 1793, aged 41, she married a French exile, General Alexandre d'Arblay. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Frances Burney has received more than 532,168 page views. Her biography is available in 35 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 30 in 2019). Frances Burney is the 3,249th most popular writer (up from 3,539th in 2019), the 2,351st most popular biography from United Kingdom (up from 2,618th in 2019) and the 268th most popular British Writer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 530k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 52.22

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 35

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 3.02

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 4.30

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

Cecilia, or, Memoirs of an heiress
Social life and customs, Fiction, Inheritance and succession
Cecilia
Fiction, Inheritance and succession, Young women
Evelina
Social life and customs, Fiction, Sources
First published in 1778, this novel of manners tells the story of Evelina, a young woman raised in rural obscurity who is thrust into London’s fashionable society at the age of eighteen. There, she experiences a sequence of humorous events at balls, theatres, and gardens that teach her how quickly she must learn to navigate social snobbery and veiled aggression. Evelina, the embodiment of the feminine ideal for her time, undergoes numerous trials and grows in confidence with her abilities and perspicacity. As an innocent young woman, she deals with embarrassing relations, being beautiful in an image-conscious world, and falling in love with the wonderfully eligible Lord Orville. Burney gives the heroine a surprisingly shrewd opinion of fashionable London. This work, then, is not only satirical concerning the consumerism of this select group, but also aware of the role of women in late-eighteenth century society, paving the way for writers such as Jane Austen in this comic, touching love story.
The early diary of Frances Burney, 1768-1778
Diaries, English Novelists, 18th century
The Diary And Letters of Madame D'arblay
English Novelists, Correspondence, Diaries
Camilla, or, A picture of youth
Fiction, Young women, Social life and customs

Among WRITERS

Among writers, Frances Burney ranks 3,249 out of 7,302Before her are Frédéric Beigbeder, Francišak Bahuševič, Jules Vallès, Hedwig Dohm, Edward Bellamy, and Kekaumenos. After her are Gabriela Zapolska, Manès Sperber, Claude Bourgelat, Kosta Khetagurov, Kan Kikuchi, and Gregory Benford.

Most Popular Writers in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1752, Frances Burney ranks 27Before her are Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli, Torii Kiyonaga, Anton Walter, Alexander Tormasov, Amalie of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld, and Johann Friedrich Reichardt. After her are Maurice d'Elbée, François Isaac de Rivaz, Albrecht Thaer, Antonio Scarpa, Johann Gottfried Eichhorn, and Barnaba Oriani. Among people deceased in 1840, Frances Burney ranks 31Before her are Pierre Dupont de l'Étang, Nicholas Aylward Vigors, Marcellin Champagnat, John Cockerill, Karl Otfried Müller, and Johann Michael Vogl. After her are Simon Antoine Jean L'Huilier, Dingane kaSenzangakhona, Carl Blechen, Sidney Smith, Franz Meyen, and Constantine Samuel Rafinesque.

Others Born in 1752

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Others Deceased in 1840

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In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, Frances Burney ranks 2,351 out of 8,785Before her are Eugene Aynsley Goossens (1893), Arnold Bennett (1867), Cuthred of Wessex (750), Paul Johnson (1928), Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Suffolk (1517), and Phil Taylor (1954). After her are Snowy White (1948), Sir William Congreve, 2nd Baronet (1772), Katherine Woodville, Duchess of Buckingham (1458), Alex Higgins (1949), John Owen (1616), and Phil Read (1939).

Among WRITERS In United Kingdom

Among writers born in United Kingdom, Frances Burney ranks 268Before her are Lady Caroline Lamb (1785), Ephraim Chambers (1680), Hilary Mantel (1952), Ford Madox Ford (1873), Arnold Bennett (1867), and Paul Johnson (1928). After her are John Brunner (1934), Peter Mayle (1939), Anna Sewell (1820), Arnold Wesker (1932), David Crystal (1941), and John Ford (1586).