The Secret History of Queen Zarah and the Zarazians proved to be Mary Delarivière Manley’s first success, following the unimpressive productions of two of her dramas. Her story proved popular enough to follow with a sequel, also in 1705. A political piece published during parliamentary elections, it delighted readers with satire aimed at members of the Whig Party, including Sarah and John Churchill, the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, and Sidney, Earl of Godolphin.

Like many members of the more conservative Tory Party, Manley despised Queen Anne, who had risen to the throne in 1702 after her brother-in-law, William III, died. Gossip spread that the Churchills maintained undue influence over the weak queen, manipulating her from the time she was a princess at odds with the king. Both Churchills achieved high appointments at court and appeared to dominate Anne.

In the tale of sexual and political intrigue, Zarah represents Sarah Jenyns, later Sarah Churchill. The narrative describes her as a woman “whom fortune had cut out purely for the service of her own interest, without any regard to the strict rules of honor or virtue.” As she seeks to ingratiate herself with the princess Albania (Princess Anne) and plots to endanger the life of Mulgarvius (John Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham), Zarah’s actions are described as “a treacherous part as was ever acted by woman filled with love and ambition, for though she was resolved to gain the last, she was one who left no stone unturned to secure to herself the first, which has always made her life one continued scene of politic intrigue.”

Readers would later gain a key identifying each character with a real-life person, offering an example of the roman à clef, a French approach to satire.

Almost as interesting as the story itself was Manley’s introduction, a vastly important statement that discussed changes in the fiction genre. It was considered a crucial statement regarding English literature until scholars discovered the introduction to be a translation of a French essay from a 1702 French courtesy book.

Manley writes of the story, “little histories of this kind have taken place of romances,” explaining that “these little pieces which have banished romances are much more agreeable to the brisk and impetuous humor of the English.” She also discusses proper subject matter, noting that to aid reader understanding the topic should not be from the too-distant past, and suggests regarding style that “names of persons ought to have a sweetness in them, for a barbarous name disturbs the imagination.”

Her discourse regarding truth brings up points still arguable, such as whether a character may indulge in improbable actions and still demonstrate realism. She also holds that fear and pity in romance and tragedy are what capture reader sympathy. She suggests that stories conclude with a moral “which may engage virtue,” as history’s end is “to instruct and inspire into men the love of virtue and abhorrence of vice by the examples proposed to them.”

All of Manley’s writings became important during the revival of interest in early women writers inspired through feminist criticism in the mid-20th century.

Bibliography
Backscheider, Paula R., and John J. Richetti. Popular Fiction by Women 1660–1730, An Anthology. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996.

Categories: British Literature, Literature, Novel Analysis

Tags: 18th century political fiction, Analysis of Mary Delarivière Manley’s The Secret History of Queen Zarah and the Zarazians, Duchess of Marlborough, early feminist writing, early modern English novels, early women writers, English literature 1700s, English romancer tradition, female satirists, Feminist literary criticism, feminist recovery literature, fiction as moral instruction, historical fiction and morality, John Churchill Duke of Marlborough, literary satire 1705, Manley introduction fiction theory, Manley translation controversy, Mary Delarivière Manley, Mary Delarivière Manley’s The Secret History of Queen Zarah and the Zarazians, political intrigue in fiction, Princess Anne in literature, Queen Anne fiction, Queen Zarah and the Zarazians, roman à clef, Sarah Churchill satire, Sidney Earl of Godolphin, The Secret History of Queen Zarah, Tory satire, Whig satire, women in Restoration literature