The Diary & Letters of Madame D'Arblay

The book represents the personal diary of Frances Burney, married D'Arblay, covering the period from 1779 to 1840. Spanning from her early adolescence, it gives away some intimate details, Fanny's reactions on the publication of her novels, and also how she came to the Queen's notice and hence into her service. The diary is a priceless resource for historians offering some insights into the life in royal service, and providing an eye-witness account of George III as seen from Fanny's position as second keeper of the robes to Queen Charlotte.

Frances Burney (1752-1840) was an English satirical novelist, diarist and playwright. She is best known for her novels Evelina, Cecilia, Camilla and The Wanderer. Burney's novels explore the lives of English aristocrats, and satirize their social pretensions and personal foibles, with an eye to larger questions such as the politics of female identity. She has gained critical respect in her own right, but she also foreshadowed such novelists of manners with a satirical bent as Jane Austen and Thackeray.