Charlotte: An American Heroine

Although it first appeared in print in 1790, England; it was not until the novel Charlotte Temple: A Tale of Truth was republished in America that its author Susanna Rowson saw its true success. By the nineteenth century the novel sold over two hundred editions. The American readers readily enjoyed the “truth-in-fiction” story of a young naïve woman seduced and deceived by an older gentleman. It was this growing popularity among its readers that turned the character of Charlotte into an American heroine. If one looks deeper into the text, especially the form, including such elements as the narrator, character development and flashbacks, it is becomes clearly evident exactly how Charlotte appealed to the American audience and became their heroine.
A significant aspect of the form has to do with the narrator. In this novel especially, Rowson plays a tremendous role in conveying her ideas to the American audience. As a novel, Charlotte serves not only as a warning to the female sex...