Jane Elton is left orphaned by both of her parents who die due to unpredictable ailments.After this traumatic experience, Jane is taken in by herselfish and overbearing aunt Mrs. Wilson's. Faced with a repressive Calvinism practiced by her aunt, and the conservative and rural mentality of her new New England home, Jane longs to break free. She grows up to be a beautiful young woman who catches the eye of many gentlemen lurking around Mrs. Wilson's residence. Still struggling to identify with who she really, while constantly conflicting with her aunt, Jane chooses one of her wooers and marries him out of desperation, although her heart is with another man. Her struggles continue in form of a romantic triangle threatening to end fatally, with many other obstacles standing in the way of her happiness.

An influential work written in the early 1800s, "A New-England Tale" sheds light on attitudes toward women, religion, and parenting during America's formative years.

Jane Elton, orphaned as a young girl, goes to live with her aunt Mrs. Wilson, a selfish and overbearing woman who practices a repressive Calvinism. In their rural New England village, Jane grows up yearning to break free from Mrs. Wilson's tyranny and find her place as a citizen of the evolving American Republic. She is helped by her encounters with characters who embody various shadings of moral, religious, and civic virtue: the affectionate servant Mary Hull, a pious Methodist; Mr. Lloyd, a kind Quaker; Crazy Bet, emotional, sympathetic, but deeply unstable; and Old John, bereaved but wise. Ultimately, A New-England Tale is about the connection between parenting and governing, and the key role women play in shaping a fledgling nation. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Written in 1822, A New-England Tale is the first of the many novels, tales, and short magazine pieces Catharine Sedgwick published during her lifetime. The story of an orphan girl in rural New England and the moral trials she faces as she grows up, this early example of the popular nineteenth-century women's novel provides a unique look at the religious and social climate at this crucial period in America's national development. ... A New-England Tale is a classic story of a young woman's moral and material triumphs--

A collection that shows Freeman's many modes - romantic, gothic, and psychologically symbolic - as well as her use of pathos and sentimentality, humour, satire and irony. These stories centre on questions of women's integrity, courage and privation; explore the idea of masculinity; and dramatise the relationship between rural New England and modern culture and commerce. Also included here is 'The Jamesons', a series of sketches about village life reprinted for the first time since the turn of the 20th century. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.