Charlotte Temple was first published in England in 1791 as Charlotte, A Tale of Truth. The first American edition was published in 1794 and the novel became the most popular best-seller in American literature until Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin was published in 1852.
The novel opens upon an unexpected encounter between the British Lieutenant Montraville and Charlotte Temple, a tall, elegant girl of 15. Montraville sets his mind on seducing Charlotte and succeeds with the help of his libertine friend Belcour and Mademoiselle La Rue, a teacher at the boarding school Charlotte attends. Montraville soon loses interest in the young girl and, being led by Belcour to believe in Charlotte's infidelty towards him, trusts Belcour to take care of Charlotte and the child she expects.
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From the Inside Flap:
With an Introduction by Jane Smiley
First published in America in 1794, Charlotte Temple took the country by storm--in fact, it was this nation's first bona fide "bestseller." Susanna Rowson's most famous work is the story of an innocent British schoolgirl who takes the advice of her depraved French teacher-- with tragic consequences. Seduced by the dashing Lieutenant Montraville, who persuades her to move to America with him, the fifteen-year-old Charlotte leaves her adoring parents and makes the treacherous sea voyage to New York. In the land of opportunity, Charlotte is callously abandoned by Montraville. Alone and pregnant with an illegitimate child, she valiantly fights to stave off poverty and ruin.
This Modern Library Paperback Classic is set from the text of the first American edition.
About the Author:
About the Introducer:
JANE SMILEY is the bestselling author of eleven acclaimed works of fiction, including The Age of Grief, The Greenlanders, A Thousand Acres (for which she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize), Horse Heaven, and Good Faith. She lives in California.
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