Fantomina: Or, Love in a Maze. Being a Secret History of an Amour Between Two Persons of Condition

Fantomina; or, Love in a Maze is a great, unique read that really hooked me.

I read this for a Brit Lit assignment and I was blown away. The lead female character is very manipulative, trying to get herself a man by donning many disguises. Depending on who looks at it, this woman is either a feminist genius or an evil woman. Either way, she's a really interesting character to follow.

Fantomina tries to woo Beauplaisir. When it doesn't go to plan, she wears numerous disguises and gets him to cheat on her with her. The ruse can't go on forever though. Once she sends many letters and tries to win him, she finds out some tragic news that brings her plight to an end.

Fantomina is a bit of a tragic character yet at the same time very strong. She show more has high self worth and wants to get what she wants. The struggles she faces are typical for the time, yet she doesn't go about them in a way that is accepted by society. She doesn't end up with the happy ending that would be expected of literature at the time. These disguises were used for comedic effect, yet this story inverts the typical trope of the time.

Overall, this story was awesome! I highly recommend it for people who want to read some older works.

Five out of five stars. show less

Well, that's one way to handle being used and abused in a society where women did not have a lot of power, legally or socially, to begin with. Certainly better than other books like Moll Flanders or Pamela, but then, as this book was written by a woman, the story is improved by the fact that the author has a better understanding of the suffering and struggles of women in the 18th century.

Not that I'd call this a great book, but it is a decent peek into the 18th century, and the limited ways in which a woman could avail herself of power. 3/5 stars.

I found this short read to be rather enjoyable. Not your typical cautionary tale from the Romantic era -I really enjoyed how the narrator exercised her power in a time when women had so little.

This story is brilliantly ridiculous and populated with characters of great sensibility. Everything in the text is exaggerated and heightened, which makes for a fabulous reading experience. This is the fluff of the 18th century!

Written in 1725, this story concerns a young woman who goes to quite extreme lengths to try to interest and then to keep a man on whom her sights are set. Both from exclusive families, her means for capturing his attention were limited. The methods she chose yield the usual result. It is written by an author unfamiliar to me, so I cannot tell if the story is meant to be one of caution to young folks, though probably not, as it seems to me to be more of a titillating read. I daresay the author caused quite a stir in her day! Personally, I did not find it to be my cup of tea, but appreciated the opportunity to try something different. Thank you to keristars for recommending this book.