Fantomina charts an unnamed female protagonist's pursuit of the charming, shallow Beauplaisir. Dealing with major themes such as identity, class and sexual desire, and first published in 1725, Fantomina subverts the popular 'persecuted maiden' narrative, and reaches a climax which would have shocked its contemporary readership.
Eliza Fowler Haywood (c.1693–1756), was a writer, actress and publisher, now understood to be one of founders of the novel form, as well as an avant-garde publisher of important authors.
Introduction; Fantomina, or, Love in a Maze; Note on the Text
'[It] is right to deplore "Haywood's invisibility to modern political historians", but now we see her in focus, she matters for the imaginative power of her writing.' (Thomas Keymer, London Review of Books) 'Haywood's place in literary history is equally remarkable and as neglected, misunderstood and misrepresented as her oeuvre.' (Paula R. Backscheider)