Clara Reeve's 1791 epistolary novel The School For Widows tells the stories of childhood friends Frances Darnford and Rachel Strictland, both of whom have lived hard lives as the virtuous wives of improvident and immoral husbands. Frances, left penniless after the death of her gambler-spendthrift husband (who in an attempt to escape debtor's prison tries to sell her to his friend), opens a school for girls, and eventually takes up with another tragic widow, Isabella di Soranzo, whom she rescues from a mental breakdown. Frances, Rachel, and Isabella not only survive their trials, but eventually become productive and beneficial members of society, thus serving as positive examples of the potential opportunity for widows in eighteenth-century England. The introduction to this new edition of Reeve's novel challenges accepted critical views of Reeve's writing and includes newly unearthed material about the author's life.
- ISBN10 1151463078
- ISBN13 9781151463074
- Publish Date 4 February 2012 (first published 1 January 2003)
- Publish Status Unknown
- Out of Print 19 January 2017
- Publish Country US
- Imprint General Books
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 36
- Language English