The Coquette, or, The History of Eliza Wharton: A Novel: Founded on Fact

"The Coquette, or, The History of Eliza Wharton" by Hannah Webster Foster is an epistolary novel published in 1797. After being freed from an unwanted engagement, Eliza Wharton seeks independence and friendship. She finds herself torn between two suitors: a respectable but dull clergyman and an exciting aristocratic libertine. Her indecision and coquettish behavior set in motion a tragic chain of events. Based on a scandalous real-life case, this best-selling novel explores how social pressures lead to one woman's devastating downfall. (This is an automatically generated summary.)