Description

The Absentee is a novel written by Maria Edgeworth, published in 1812. The story is set in Ireland during the late 18th century and revolves around the absentee landlord system. The absentee landlords were English aristocrats who owned large estates in Ireland but rarely visited or lived in their properties. The novel highlights the negative impact of this system on the Irish people, who were oppressed and exploited by their absentee landlords.The main character of the novel is Lord Colambre, the son of an absentee landlord. He is sent to Ireland by his mother to investigate the state of their estate and to ensure that his father is not being cheated by his agents. During his visit, Lord Colambre falls in love with a young woman named Grace Nugent, who is living in poverty due to the mismanagement of her family's estate by their absentee landlord.The novel also features other characters who represent different aspects of Irish society, including wealthy landowners, impoverished tenants, and corrupt agents. Through their stories, Edgeworth portrays the social and economic issues facing Ireland during this period, including the lack of political representation for the Irish people and the exploitation of natural resources by absentee landlords.Overall, The Absentee is a powerful critique of the absentee landlord system and its impact on Irish society. It explores themes of love, social justice, and national identity, and remains a significant work of Irish literature.Title refers to Irish landlords in England, circa 1800.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.