In <strong>The Young Philosopher</strong> George Delmont embraces an agrarian life anddevotes himself to the pursuit of knowledge. But it is Georges love Medora... » 

In The Young Philosopher George Delmont embraces an agrarian life anddevotes himself to the pursuit of knowledge. But it is Georges love MedoraGlenmorris and her mother Laura who provide the emotional core of the novel.Contrasting the pain and suffering of individuals with the idealism of theFrench Revolution and the hope provided by glimpses of life in America Smithexposes philosophical enlightenment as an ineffective weapon for fighting thewidespread corruption of English society. The early novels of Charlotte Smith17491806 were precursors of the gothic tradition that came to dominate theRomantic period. Her later fiction including The Young Philosopher 1798were more political in nature and influenced both the form and substance ofworks by nineteenthcentury novelists such as Austen and Dickens. «