East Lynne

“Could the fate, that was to overtake his child, have been foreseen by the earl, he would have struck her down to death, in his love, as she stood before him, rather than suffer her to enter upon it.”

This quotation foreshadows Isabel’s moral downfall long before it takes place, building suspense and anticipation. The quotation also provides an example of the narrator taking a strong moral stance, making it clear that Isabel’s actions are being portrayed as wrong—so wrong that it would have been better had she died at her own father’s hands.

“It has been the custom in romance to represent young ladies […] as being altogether oblivious of everyday cares and necessities, supremely indifferent to the future prospects of poverty […] but, be assured, this apathy never exists in real life.”

This quotation appears in the context of Isabel discovering she is penniless following the death of her father. The narrator challenges the narrative convention that depicts women as removed from or ignorant of their financial situation, revealing how a sensational plot can still contain elements of realism and social commentary—e.g., on economic realities or gender roles. Isabel’s financial precarity contributes directly to her reckless decisions, developing the theme of The Anxieties and Opportunities of Unstable Social Positions.

“She shall marry the first who asks her […] I’ll take care of that.”

Lady Mount Severn says this when she learns that Isabel is going to be living in her household since she has nowhere else to go. Lady Mount Severn is jealous and resentful of Isabel and does not want a beautiful young woman present to upstage her. The quotation shows how Isabel’s vulnerable position directly leads to her hasty marriage,