Frances Burney (13 June 1752 - 6 January 1840) was an English satirical novelist, diarist and playwright. Of her four novels, the first, Evelina, was the most successful, and remains the most highly regarded. When Burney published her first book, novel reading was frowned upon as something young women of a certain social status should not do, while novel writing was out of the question. When she published Evelina anonymously, she only told her siblings and two trusted aunts. Eventually her father read the novel and guessed that Burney was its author. News of her identity spread and brought Burney almost immediate fame with its unique narrative and comic strengths.
