What to Expect

The front matter of Laura provides the reader with limited, but important, insight on what to expect from the novel. Notably, the book was published with a preface which reads:

“With the exception of a few slight deviations, which were thought indispensible, the following narrative is a faithful account of real occurrences. I am aware that it can claim no merit unless it be that of correctness and simplicity; at no other at least have I aimed, and should by endeavors in this respect not have been entirely unsuccessful, should the little book interest, and have a tendency to promote virtue; my most sanguine wishes on the subject will be gratified” (Sansay)

If this book had been published today, the cover might read: “Based on a true story”. Modern readers might infer that the story is an embellished version of the truth, which may also be the case with Sansay’s novel. Also notable is that the author’s name is not typed onto the front page. The title page reads: Laura, by A Lady of Philadelphia. Handwritten underneath “A Lady of Philadelphia” is the name “Mrs. Leonara Sansay”, encased in brackets – as though the name of the author was an afterthought, and therefore not of utmost importance. The fact that the author did not originally publish her work under her own name might mean that she wished to remain anonymous due to the supposedly true events in the story, or that her publisher did not think her worthy of placing her name on her own work.

The latter supposition seems as though it may possibly be closer to the truth, given the subject matter of the novel. The first chapter tells of a whirlwind romance which leads to the birth of the titular character, which is shortly followed by the death of the eponymous Laura’s father. The book begins with both romance and tragedy, themes that one would expect to continue throughout the novel. At the outset of the story, the reader expects a maelstrom of emotion, due to the fast pace at which the heroine’s story came into being, through the kidnapping and seducing of a young nun, who soon thereafter became a widow with a young daughter.

The work was printed in Philadelphia, where the author lived and wrote. This may be one of the reasons why her name was not originally printed on the book: she may have desired anonymity from the notoriety that would have followed the publication of such a text. Laura falls under the category of a seduction novel, and as it is advertised as a true story, the assumption would be that it was the story of the writer. Sansay may have wished to avoid such infamy, and left her name off the printed publications. However, she clearly claimed her work later, as the title page of my edition includes her handwritten name.

The front matter draws the reader in through pathos. The language is emotionally loaded, and the fast pace with which the unofficial preface to the story is handled puts the reader through the same whirlwind of emotions that the characters experience. Judging by the beginning of this book, readers can expect an emotionally charged novel.