Another Mr. Darcey!

Despite its striking similarity to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, this novel came before the beloved masterpiece that characterizes Regency Era fiction today. In fact, Gunning's Barford Abbey was read by Jane Austen and most likely served as a major source of inspiration for some of her characters -- namely Mr. Darcy in her aforementioned classic and Fanny Price in Mansfield Park. While Austen established and ruled within the "comedy of manners" genre, Gunning's novel can be characterized as a gothic novel. Books within this genre explore topics ranging from death to madness and love to the supernatural. Barford Abbey is no exception; it is also an epistolary novel, meaning that it is comprised entirely of letters written back and forth between the characters. These letters deal with concealed love, oaths to deceased parents, orphans, shipwrecks, and family secrets. Its epistolary style contributes towards elements of mystery that manifest and grow throughout the entire story. The significance behind the novel's setting at the esteemed Barford Abbey, a place which caused our main character Fanny's heart to "beat as if breaking from confinement" upon the sight of it, is open to many interpretations. But generally, the book tells the story of a young, orphaned girl who is welcomed into the company of her guardian's close companions. In the process, she meets new friends (as well as a potential lover), and stumbles upon deeply hidden mysteries surrounding her parentage and connections to the new people she has met. There is a huge plot twist that I definitely didn't see coming as well! 
There are many reviews of Gunning's Barford Abbey that are less than positive; they mainly concern points of confusion and inconsistency within the story itself. Despite these flaws, Gunning's book is incredibly well-written and developed, especially considering that it exists within the confining epistolary genre (which we are less used to in novels nowadays). I would encourage Austen and epistolary writing fans to check this book out and give the "original" Mr. Darcey a try!


Here is my favorite quote from Barford Abbey:

"Did it depend on myself only, I would tell Miss Warley I love, every time I behold her enchanting face; every time I hear the voice of wisdom springing from the seat of innocence."

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