Love in Excess

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1719

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 2, Pages 81-128

Part 2, Pages 129-162

Part 3, Pages 163-216

Part 3, Pages 217-269

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Background

Literary Context: Amatory Fiction

Between the late 1600s and the mid-1700s, the genre of amatory fiction formed a significant part of the literature that was being written, published, and consumed in Great Britain, especially amongst female authors and readers. Three major writers—Aphra Behn, Delarivier Manley, and Eliza Haywood—contributed significantly to this literary movement by writing works which tended to revolve around romantic adventures and misadventures. While melodramatic, these works tended to have conflicts revolving around fairly mundane events, such as a jealous rival or an unsympathetic guardian. They also typically involved fairly frank explorations of sexuality and desire, including describing these topics from the perspective of female characters. For example, Behn’s poem The Disappointment (1680) is sometimes seen as a precursor to the genre, describing a young woman’s perspective as a man struggles with impotence during their encounter.

Works of amatory fiction were often viewed with suspicion by the literary establishment. They were critiqued as stylistically inferior: For example, these texts did not typically feature the dense allusions that were sometimes seen as the trademark of a skilled and well-educated writer. They were also denounced as potentially morally dangerous, particularly if they were consumed primarily by female readers.

Despite these complaints, works of amatory fiction were very commercially successful: Love in Excess was likely one of the best-selling British novels in the 18th century. In the latter half of the 20th century, some scholars and literary critics did significant work to revitalize interest in these texts and authors, celebrating and acknowledging their role in the development of women’s literature and the rise of the novel.

Biographical Context: The Life of Eliza Haywood

Little is known about Eliza Haywood’s early life, including the specific date and location of her birth. By 1715, she had begun to appear on stage as an actress, and got to know prominent individuals involved with theatre and literature, including Aaron Hill (a playwright and manager of a well-known theatre) and Richard Savage (a poet). Likely drawing on these connections, Haywood published Love in Excess in 1719, launching a lengthy and prolific literary career. Up until her death in 1756, Haywood worked as a novelist, poet, playwright, editor, and publisher. She produced political writings and translations of French literature. Through these career paths, Haywood earned a successful living for herself and her two children. It is not clear who fathered her children, although there is some evidence that she was involved in long-term romantic relationships without being married.

Eliza Haywood was sometimes the subject of attacks and satire, which tended to conflate critiques of her writing, politics, and personal life. Alexander Pope wrote a satirical, mock-epic poem called The Dunciad (published in several versions between 1728 and 1743) in which he mocked many influential writers from the time. Haywood is mentioned and Pope references her having “two babes of love” (i.e., two illegitimate children). Jonathan Swift (the author of Gulliver’s Travels, and a noted satirist) was likely also referring to Haywood in his poem “Corinna.” The poem makes sarcastic reference to a woman who “Cuckolds, elopes, and runs in debt; / Turns authoress” (Swift, Jonathan. “Corinna.” Best Poems Encyclopedia, Lines 27-28). The 18th century was often a period of bitter feuding between notable British literary figures, and Haywood’s inclusion reflects her status as an important writer while also highlighting how critiques and satire could reflect gendered stereotypes.