The Pursuit of Happiness in Frances Burney’s Sentimental Novels, Evelina and Cecilia

This thesis aims to explore how Frances Burney's sentimental novels, Evelina (1778) and Cecilia (1782), address the pursuit of happiness. Happiness is one of the main goals of human life, yet its meaning and interpretation have taken on various nuances over the years. The first chapter examines how eighteenth-century thought redefined the idea of happiness, moving from a predominantly religious concept, attainable in the afterlife, to a more secular and earthly vision influenced by Enlightenment thought, that redefined the ideas of individual fulfilment and well-being. The second part compares the two novels, asking whether, and to what extent, their female protagonists can pursue and achieve happiness within the restrictions of eighteenth-century society. The dissertation analyses the forms this happiness can take, the obstacles that the heroines encounter, and the way in which marriage, identity, and moral integrity can provide a path to true and lasting happiness. Finally, the study considers whether Burney's sentimental fiction allows its heroines a model of happiness achievable in earthly life or whether such fulfilment remains limited by the moral and social contexts of the time.