6.4 /10 1 Votes
Language English Media type Print Dewey Decimal 823/.7 21 Originally published 1799 Preceded by Memoirs of Emma Courtney Country United Kingdom | 3.2/5 Goodreads Publication date 1799 ISBN 978-1-55111-217-6 LC Class PR4769.H6 V5 1998 Genre Novel OCLC 41278546 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Victim of Prejudice is a novel by the English novelist Mary Hays. Published in 1799, it is Hays' second novel.
The novel, depicting the challenges that its protagonist, Mary, encounters throughout her life, underlines the difficulty that women experienced in gaining sufficient means of living and their dependency on men in late 18th century England. As such, the novel was part of a larger grouping of feminist writing that occurred around this time of British history, including the works of Mary Wollstonecraft, Jane Austen, Elizabeth Inchbald and Mary Robinson. The novel remains Hays' most feminist work, as it focuses on the limitations women had at the time and does not hesitate to criticize the Patriarchal establishment.
Plot summary
The main character, Mary, is brought up by her guardian Mr. Raymond in a loving environment, separate from the prejudiced and patriarchal society of Britain. This unsullied childhood begins to shift, when at the age of 11, two brothers, William and Edmund Pelham, come to live with and be educated by Mr. Raymond. Mary develops a close friendship with William, and as the two grow older, Mr. Raymond sees that he must separate them in order to maintain his promise to the boys' father; that he should keep them from any acquaintance that might negatively affect their future as men of fashion and wealth.
The rest of the novel details the trials that Mary encounters upon the death of her benevolent guardian Mr. Raymond, and her subsequent reliance on the charity of those around her.