The Life and Adventures of a Clever Woman

Charlotte Morris, a young woman raised by her father with the help of his sister-in-law, is determined to live her life to be recognized as a person of "fortune, fashion and talent" and to have a "lifelong enjoyment of admination, influence, and renown". Aware that a good marriage is important in her social world, she marries Cornelius Folkstone. Once the cermony is over, he attempts to dominate her by any means, finally resorting to locking her up on bread and water until she will agree to his terms. Charlotte resists until Cornelius dies, leaving her in widowhood, a happy state of singleness that society won't allow to a single girl.