''Lucinda; or, The Mountain Mourner'' is an

epistolary novel An epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of letters. The term is often extended to cover novels that intersperse documents of other kinds with the letters, most commonly diary entries and newspaper clippings, and sometimes considered ...

by P. D. Manvill (1764–1849), first published in 1807. A bestseller at the time, it was widely distributed and went through numerous editions. In ''Lucinda'', the eponymous protagonist is raped, becomes pregnant, descends into poverty, and dies shortly after giving birth. Booher classifies ''Lucinda'' as a work of sentimental fiction. In particular, following

Nina Baym Nina Baym (1936–2018) was an American literary critic and literary historian. She was professor of English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 1963 to 2004. Before her retirement at the University of Illinois Baym was a Swanlu ...

, she describes it as a "novel of seduction", in which the female protagonist becomes pregnant and comes to a tragic end as a result.

Cathy Davidson Cathy N. Davidson (born 1949) is an American scholar and university professor. Beginning July 1, 2014, she is a professor at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She was a professor of English at Duke University in 2006. She ...

, following

Helen Papashvily Helen Waite Papashvily (December 24, 1906 – May 19, 1996) was an American writer. Life and career Born in Stockton, California, Helen Papashvily attended the University of California, Berkeley. She met her husband, George Papashvily in 1930, w ...

, argues that ''Lucinda'' marks an end of the seduction plot in American literature—with

Hester Prynne Hester Prynne is the protagonist of Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 novel ''The Scarlet Letter''. She is portrayed as a woman condemned by her Puritan neighbors. The character has been called "among the first and most important female protagonists in ...

as one outlier in this regard. Booher likens ''Lucinda'' to '' The Coquette'' (1797), noting that both works are preoccupied with the protagonist's so-called

virtue Virtue ( la, virtus) is moral excellence. A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. In other words, it is a behavior that shows high moral standards ...

, or abstinence from premarital sex. The work is set in

upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...

, in

Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over ...

and near Marcellus.

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