The Coquette or, The History of Eliza Wharton

The Coquette, or, The History of Eliza Wharton by Hannah Webster Foster, first published in 1797, is a significant early work in American literature, often considered one of the first best-selling novels in the United States. The book is an epistolary novel, meaning it is written as a series of letters between characters, which was a popular format at the time. The novel is both a social commentary and a morality tale, focusing on the consequences of a woman's behavior in the 18th-century American society.