Writing to nobody: privacidade e práticas de escrita feminina na Inglaterra do Século XVIII a partir da escritora Frances Burney

Abstract

The present work aims to analyze the private writing practices of the young 18th century aristocrat, Frances Burney, that is, her diary and letters. Thereby, topics are discussed here that are essential for us to be able to deal with this subject, such as female education in the 18th century, especially in England, privacy, diaries writing and epistolary practice. This research starts from the idea of verifying the thoughts and feelings of a woman, inserted in the aristocratic society of 18th century England, who aimed to become a writer. To this end, was chosen to analyze her writings in her diary and her letters in the period between 1768 and 1788. Therefore, through this work, we were able to perceive the tension between the rules of society at the time and the aspirations of a young English woman who already knew articulate herself between private and public, as well as what and who to write to.