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Charlotte Temple
Charlotte Temple
Charlotte Temple
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Charlotte Temple

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First published in England in 1791 and the United States in 1794, Susanna Rowson’s “Charlotte Temple” was America’s first best-selling novel. The story is an example of the seduction novel genre, which was wildly popular in early American literature and focuses on the dangers to young ladies of being seduced by unscrupulous men. In Rowson’s novel, the main character is Charlotte Temple, a lovely and naïve young British girl who falls for the overwhelming charm of a handsome soldier, Lieutenant Montraville. Charlotte believes they are in love and runs away with him to America, where he quickly grows bored with her and abandons her, leaving her pregnant, alone, disgraced, and penniless. Montraville’s callous friends help him in his seduction and abandonment of Charlotte and all those concerned with this tragic affair face the consequences of their cruel actions. “Charlotte Temple” is a cautionary tale to young ladies to protect their virtue and a warning to those who take advantage of their innocence. The novel remains a compelling and engaging glimpse into the morals and norms of early American society.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateFeb 10, 2020
ISBN9781420966961
Author

Susanna Rowson

Susanna Rowson (1762-1824) was a British-American novelist, poet, actress, and geographer. Born in Portsmouth, England, Rowson was taken to Massachusetts by her father, a Royal Navy officer, following the death of her mother. The family was placed under house arrest during the American Revolution and moved from Nantasket to Abington, Massachusetts. In 1778, they were sent to Halifax, Nova Scotia as part of a prisoner exchange and later settled in Yorkshire, England. As a young woman, Susanna moved to London and embarked on a career as a writer with the publication of Victoria (1786). Five years later, she published Charlotte Temple, which went on to become the first bestselling novel in the newly formed United States. In 1793, after gaining a reputation as an actress in Edinburgh, Susanna moved to Philadelphia to join the theater company of Thomas Wignell, for whom she performed over fifty roles in just two seasons on stage. She left theater several years later to found a school for girls in Boston, which she later moved to Newton, Massachusetts. Rowson continued writing works of fiction throughout her life, but largely devoted herself to education in her late career. Rowson’s Abridgement to Universal Geography (1805) and Youth’s First Steps in Geography (1811) are considered the first works of human geography—incorporating social and religious subjects—published in history. She ran her school, which eventually returned to Boston, until 1822, at which point she retired and handed operations over to her daughters.

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    Charlotte Temple - Susanna Rowson

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