ABSTRACT
This chapter engages with the anxieties plaguing the masculine empire the conflict between the reality of Britain as a trading power and the ideal of Britain as a classical republic. It focuses on the ideological tension brewing between Britain and the colonies due to the colonies commitment to republican virtue. In Evelina Burney's treatment of men constitutes an expos of the masculine empire. By placing Lord Orville in the context of the contemporary debate about masculinity, empire, commerce, power, and corruption, the chapter demonstrates that this character is more than simply a reproduction of Sir Charles Grandison and more complex than his polite and slightly dull Prince Charming surface suggests. However, Evelina gradually realizes that his politeness is sincere, his gallantry is no mere social form, and he is indeed un jeune homme comme il y en a peu.
