Fantomina

Fantomina, first published in 1724, is a romance novella by English writer and actress Eliza Haywood. Its full title is Fantomina: or, Love in a Maze: Being a Secret History of an Amour Between Two Persons of Condition. Haywood, born Eliza Fowler, gained recognition for her literary works posthumously in the 1980s. Her sensationalistic romantic works reflect contemporary 18th century impropriety and provide commentary on titillating misconduct as well as women’s rights in male-dominated England.

The main character of the story is referred to simply as the Lady, when she is not referred to by the various guises that she adopts throughout the story. We are told that she is “a young Lady of distinguished Birth, Beauty, Wit, and Spirit” (Paragraph 1). At the story’s opening, she is out with her friends at the theatre and notices a prostitute surrounded by admirers on the lower floor. Although her friends dismiss this woman, the Lady is fascinated by her and by the power that she seems to have over men. We are told that the Lady, in contrast to her urbane friends, has had a country upbringing, which has made her naïve and credulous.