Elizabeth Inchbald

Nature and Art Elizabeth Inchbald

Nature and Art, by English actress, playwright, and novelist Elizabeth Inchbald, was originally published in 1796, with an Introduction added in 1886, by English academic Henry Morley. The work is Inchbald's second novel, which considers the influence of education, social conventions, gender conditioning, and privilege. Nature and Art is a satirical tale, told in the third person, recounting the story of two successive generations, and the corrupting effects of the social system has on them. It is quite a blunt attack on societal structure, and critically reflects on a woman's place in society. Throughout the story, Inchbald analyses the effect education, power, and privilege has on human behaviour.