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Patronage
Hardcover
Publisher: Bibliotech Press
Published: Mar 3 2026
Pages: 338
Weight: 1.28
Height: 1.00 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Maria Edgeworth's Patronage explores the intricate social and moral consequences of relying on influence rather than merit in the pursuit of success. The novel follows the rising and falling fortunes of the Percy family, whose integrity and belief in personal responsibility stand in contrast to a society dazzled by rank and connections. Through a series of trials-financial hardship, political maneuvering, and social temptation-the Percys discover that character, industry, and genuine talent provide a steadier path than the fleeting favor of powerful patrons.
Opposed to them are characters who attempt to climb through flattery and strategic dependence on the great. Their rapid ascents are mirrored by equally rapid downfalls, revealing the inherent instability of a system built on borrowed prestige. Edgeworth uses these contrasting trajectories to critique the culture of patronage that dominated British society in her time, showing how it distorts judgment, encourages hypocrisy, and undermines real worth.
Blending moral philosophy with vivid domestic scenes, Patronage argues that true success must rest on principle rather than privilege. In the end, Edgeworth champions the value of education, earnest effort, and ethical independence-suggesting that while patronage may offer glittering shortcuts, it is integrity that leads to lasting fulfillment.
About the Author
Maria Edgeworth (1768-1849) was an Anglo-Irish novelist, education theorist, and one of the most influential literary figures of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Born in Oxfordshire, she spent most of her life at the family estate in County Longford, Ireland, where her writing was shaped by both the intellectual milieu of her father, Richard Lovell Edgeworth, and the social realities of rural Irish life.
Edgeworth is widely regarded as a pioneer of the regional novel, using vivid local detail and carefully observed dialect to portray Irish society with a realism that was innovative for her time. Her early works, including Castle Rackrent (1800), combined satire, social commentary, and narrative experimentation, earning praise from contemporaries such as Sir Walter Scott, who later credited her as an inspiration for his own historical fiction.
Alongside fiction, Edgeworth was deeply invested in educational reform, collaborating with her father on treatises that emphasized rational upbringing, moral instruction, and the importance of nurturing children's natural curiosity. Her novels often reflected these pedagogical concerns, blending entertainment with moral purpose.
Despite the political upheavals of her era-including the Act of Union and recurring tensions between Anglo-Irish landlords and Irish tenants-Edgeworth wrote with a commitment to empathy, practical reform, and cross-cultural understanding. Her clear-sighted, humane portrayals helped shape the early development of realist fiction and left a lasting mark on Irish and British literature. Maria Edgeworth remains celebrated today for her skillful narrative voice, progressive views on education, and nuanced exploration of national identity.
7 different editions
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Maria Edgeworth - Tales & Novels. Volume I (of II): "If we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves."
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Maria Edgeworth - Patronage: 'Promises are dangerous things to ask or to give''
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Richard Lovell Edgeworth: A Selection From His Memoirs
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Memoirs of Richard Lovel Edgeworth, Begun by Himself and Concluded by His Daughter, Maria Edgeworth
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Letters for Literary Ladies: To Which Is Added, an Essay On the Noble Science of Self-Justification
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Maria Edgeworth - Helen: 'It is not so easy to do good as those who have never attempted it may imagine''
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Maria Edgeworth - The Parent's Assistant: 'Confidence is the best proof of love''
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Maria Edgeworth - Ormond: 'Business was his aversion; Pleasure was his business''
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Maria Edgeworth - An Essay on Irish Bulls: 'Obtain power, then, by all means; power is the law of man; make it yours''
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Maria Edgeworth - Love and Law: 'Tyranny and injustice always produce cunning and falsehood''
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Maria Edgeworth - Manoeuvring: 'No man ever distinguished himself who could not bear to be laughed at''
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Maria Edgeworth - Leonora: 'Artificial manners vanish the moment the natural passions are touched''
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Early Lessons; (Volume Iv) Containing The Conclusion Of The Continuation Of Rosamond, And The Continuation Of Harry And Lucy
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Lazy Lawrence Tarlton, False Key, Being The First Volume Of The Parent'S Assistant, Or, Stories For Children
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The Barring Out, Eton Montem, Being The Sixth Volume Of The Parent'S Assistant, Or, Stories For Children
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Old Poz, le Vieux Positif ou le Père Positif, petite comédie à cinq personnages: à l'usage des classes élémentaires
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The Absentee: An Anglo-Irish Novel of Estate, Responsibility, and Social Reform
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Practical Education; by Maria Edgeworth, ... and by Richard Lovell Edgeworth, ... of 2; Volume 2
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Popular tales. By: Maria Edgeworth, and By: Richard Lovell Edgeworth: (Story collections), Volume II.
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Popular tales. By: Maria Edgeworth, and By: Richard Lovell Edgeworth: (Story collections), Volume I.
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The Ballad Singer: or, Memoirs of the Bristol Family: a Most Interesting Novel; VOL. I
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The Ballad Singer: or, Memoirs of the Bristol Family: a Most Interesting Novel; VOL. I
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The Ballad Singer: or, Memoirs of the Bristol Family: a Most Interesting Novel; VOL. II
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The Ballad Singer: or, Memoirs of the Bristol Family: a Most Interesting Novel; VOL. III
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The Ballad Singer: or, Memoirs of the Bristol Family: a Most Interesting Novel; VOL. IV
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The Ballad Singer: or, Memoirs of the Bristol Family: a Most Interesting Novel; VOL. IV
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Fatherless Fanny: or, the Memoirs of a Little Mendicant, and Her Benefactors: a Modern Novel; VOL. IV
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Castle Rackrent and The absentee. By: Maria Edgeworth AND Anne Thackeray Ritchie ( NOVEL )
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Harry and Lucy Concluded;: Being the Last Part of Early Lessons; Volume III
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The Ballad Singer: or, Memoirs of the Bristol Family: a Most Interesting Novel; VOL. II
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Practical education. By: Maria Edgeworth and By: Richard Lovell Edgeworth: Practical Education is an educational treatise written by Maria Edge
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Maria Edgeworth - Tales of Fashionable Life: 'No man ever distinguished himself who could not bear to be laughed at''
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Fatherless Fanny: or, the Memoirs of a Little Mendicant, and Her Benefactors: a Modern Novel; VOL. IV
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Castle Rackrent and The absentee. By: Maria Edgeworth, illustrated By: Chris Hammond (1860-1900). Introduction By: Anne Thackeray Ritchie: Castle Rack
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The Children's Miscellany: Part IV.: Consisting of Select Stories, Fables, and Dialogues, for...
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Tales and Novels (Volume 8 -- Patronage Concluded; Comic Dramas; Leonora; and Letters)
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Practical Education (Volume I): In Two Volumes, Vol. I.
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Practical Education (Volume II): In Two Volumes, Vol. II.
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