Teaching Frances Burney's Evelina with Netflix’s Bridgerton

Authors

• Willow White, University of AlbertaFollow

Author Biography

Willow White (Métis Nation of Alberta) is Assistant Professor in the Department of Fine Arts and Humanities at the University of Alberta, where she teaches English and Indigenous literatures. White is the author of Feminist Comedy: Women Playwrights of London (University of Delaware Press, 2024), and co-editor of The Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison (Broadview Press, 2022). Her essays appear in Eighteenth-Century Fiction, Eighteenth-Century Studies, Women's Writing, and ABO.

Abstract

This pedagogical essay explores strategies for teaching Frances Burney's first novel Evelina (1778) through comparison with Netflix's popular series Bridgerton. The essay demonstrates how Bridgerton's widespread popularity has renewed interest in Georgian literature and provides an engaging and accessible entry point for undergraduate students to explore Evelina's themes of social anxiety, gender, and coming of age.

Keywords

Frances Burney, Evelina, Bridgerton, Pedagogy

Recommended Citation

White, Willow (2026) "Teaching Frances Burney's Evelina with Netflix’s Bridgerton," ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830: Vol.16: Iss.1, Article 7.
http://doi.org/10.5038/2157-7129.16.1.1466
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/abo/vol16/iss1/7