The Coquette, or the History of Eliza Wharton

About this book

The much-publicized death of a Connecticut poet comes to life in The Coquette. A bestseller, the story of seduction and betrayal fictionalizes the Elizabeth Whitman scandal ten years later through the catalyst of Eliza Wharton.Torn between a enchanting but artificial man and a boring minister, Eliza ends up rejected and alone when they marry other women. Still unwed she becomes pregnant and dies in childbirth. A series of letters between Eliza, her friends, and her lovers pushes the mystery of her untimely death forward. Follow the scandal that gripped the eighteenth century in a novel that raised consciousness on the marginalization of women in the era.