Ready Reference Treatise: The Coquette

“The Coquette” by Hannah Webster Foster was first published in 1797. When it was first published the author remained anonymous.

The story is also titled “The History of Eliza Wharton.” It is an epistolary novel. The novel was finally published under the author’s name only in 1856, sixteen years after the death of Hannah Webster Foster’s death.

It proved to be one of the best novels of its time. Between 1824 and 1828, the novel was reprinted eight times. It was an unparallel success for any novel at that time.

The novel presents a fictionalized account of the death of a socially elite Connecticut woman. Her death had been much publicized. She died after giving birth to a stillborn, illegitimate child at a roadside tavern.

Ready Reference Treatise: The Coquette
Copyright
Chapter One: Introduction
Chapter Two: Plot Overview
Chapter Three: Characters
Chapter Four: Complete Summary
Chapter Five: Critical Analysis