"The Absentee": an interpretation - an analysis of Maria Edgeworth's novel

The following term paper deals with Maria Edgeworth’s novel The Absentee. Written in 1812, it is the author’s third book about Irish life. As all three novels it refers to her own life, this paper begins with a short biography, which reveals this connection. The next section of the paper is about Ireland in the nineteenth century, the setting of The Absentee, which clarifies the historical background. In the following section the novel is summarized briefly. After that, the classification of the novel, gives the reasons, why it is considered a regional novel. One aspect of Irish regional novels is treated in more detail in the chapter that follows: the language of The Absentee. After these chapters, which analyze the novel, it is interpreted. Three different approaches of interpretation are used; the novel as a love story, the novel as a regional novel and the educational aspects in it.