The Sylph

When a woman finds herself trapped in a loveless marriage, she receives guidance from an anonymous guardian in this eighteenth-century epistolary novel. Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, first published The Sylph anonymously in 1778. With its autobiographical elements and frank depiction of infidelity, corruption, and alcoholism, it was a blistering exposé of aristocratic depravity. Welsh beauty Julia Grenville knows little of the world when she marries the wealthy, much older Lord Stanley. After moving to London, she writes to her sisters of disappointments and misfortunes: her unfaithful husband, the snobbery of London socialites, and a newfound weakness for gambling. Julia then receives correspondence from a mysterious guardian angel known only as the Sylph. Sympathetic to Julia’s unhappiness, the Sylph offers counsel on her marital strife and her growing affection for another man. And when she discovers that her husband faces ruin—and that she herself could be claimed in payment for his debts—the Sylph helps Julia find the courage to flee.