When heiress Cecilia Beverley receives an inheritance from her uncle, the Dean, it comes with the stipulation that her future husband must change his name to Beverley. Besieged by suitors only after her fortune, Cecilia eventually falls in love with the only son and heir of a proud family—one that prevents him from changing his name. A social satire, Cecilia is both a love story and an examination of British upper-class conventions.

Originally published in 1782, Cecilia was reprinted at least twice within a year of its publication, and served as an influence for the title of Jane Austen's masterpiece Pride and Prejudice.

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