“She is still being talked about”: Why The Coquette still matters

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our forthcoming new P-Wave Classics edition of The Coquette by Hannah Webster Foster, a novel that first appeared in 1797 and is still sparking conversation more than two centuries later.

On the surface, The Coquette might seem like a polite tale of letters and lovers, of a young woman hesitating between two suitors. But it is much more than that. This is a book that quietly cuts to the heart of how women are judged—for their choices, their freedom, their desires, and for stepping outside what the world expects of them.

Its heroine, Eliza Wharton, is not a tragic seductress or a cautionary figure. She is intelligent, charming, and emotionally complex—a woman who enjoys her independence, wants to make her own decisions, and yet finds herself hemmed in at every turn. When she is courted by both the respectable Reverend Boyer and the rakish Major Sanford, Eliza’s hesitation is not frivolous; it is recognisably human. She is trying to figure out not just whom to marry, but how to live.

What makes The Coquette even more powerful is that it’s inspired by real life. Foster based Eliza’s story on that of Elizabeth Whitman, a well-educated New England woman who died unmarried and pregnant in 1788. Her death—and the secrecy and speculation surrounding it—sparked a media frenzy in the early American press. She became a symbol, a warning, a scandal, a mystery. And that’s exactly what makes this new edition special.

We’ve included two rare 19th-century responses that show just how long Eliza—and her real-life counterpart—remained the subject of debate. First is the 1855 Historical Preface by Jane E. Locke, which tries to nail down a definitive, moral interpretation of the story. Then, in sharp and vivid contrast, comes Caroline Wells Healey Dall’s 1875 response, The Romance of the Association, a smart and striking defence of Elizabeth Whitman and a challenge to the tidy moralising that had built up around her.

In other words, Eliza didn’t die quietly—she became a conversation. And with this edition, we’re inviting readers back into that conversation.

Our team has carefully prepared the text with reference to early printings, preserving Foster’s language and tone while gently smoothing over the era’s inconsistent spelling to make for a more fluid modern reading experience. We’ve also clearly marked new footnotes where helpful, without getting in the way of the novel’s subtle emotional rhythm.

If you’ve never read The Coquette, this is a perfect time to discover it. And if you have—perhaps years ago, as part of a course or an anthology—you might be surprised by how much more it has to offer when given room to breathe. It’s a book about freedom, about reputation, about how women’s lives are shaped by forces that often lie just beyond their control. And it’s also just a beautifully constructed novel—witty, emotionally layered, and quietly bold.

The Coquette is available 21 April, 2026, in paperback and ebook formats wherever books are sold, and we couldn’t be prouder to bring it to readers as part of our P-Wave Classics series.

📚 Explore the book here↗︎ and read the accompanying press release here↗︎