Maria Edgeworth

Forteljaren i romanen, gamle Thady, er observatøren, ein del av hendingane, samtundes som han gjennom sin tenarfunksjon står til sides for det samfunnet han skildrar. På denne måten etablerer forfattaren ein ironisk distanse som høver godt til å målbere den irske, folkelege humoren.

Set in Ireland prior to its achieving legislative independence from Britain in 1782, Castle Rackrent tells the story of three generations of an estate--owning family as seen through the eyes—and as told in the voice—of their longtime servant, Thady Quirk, recorded and commented on by an anonymous Editor. This edition of Maria Edgeworth's first novel is based on the 1832 edition, the last revised by her, and includes Susan Kubica Howard's foot-of-the-page notes on the text of the memoir as well as on the notes and glosses the Editor offers "for the information of the ignorant English reader." Howard’s Introduction situates the novel in its political and historical context and suggests a reading of the novel as Edgeworth’s contribution to the discussion of the controversial Act of Union between Ireland and Britain that went into effect immediately after the novel’s publication in London in 1800.

This book is an edition of Maria Edgeworth's first novel, 'Castle Rackrent', originally published in 1800, with annotations, an introduction and a bibliography. "Castle Rackrent" tells the story of three generations of the Rackrent family from the perspective of their servant, Thady Quirk, during the middle of the eighteenth century in Ireland.

First published in 1802, "An Essay on Irish Bulls" was intended to show the English public the talent and wit of the Irish lower classes. Originally devised by Maria's father, Richard Lovell Edgeworth, Irish Bulls is an informal philosophic dialogue on the nature of Bulls (logical absurdities) and jokes and jests in general. Published at the time of the Union, the overarching theme is the confusions of identity and the relationship of Irish people to the English. This highly entertaining work has not been published as a single book since the nineteenth century. The editorial material and text for this edition are reproduced from the "Pickering & Chatto Novels" and "Selected Works of Maria Edgeworth", vol. 1. New introduction for this edition is by Jane Desmarais.