[1] Cherry Wilkinson, a fatuous female protagonist with a history of novel-reading, fancies herself as the heroine of a Gothic romance.

She perceives and models reality according to the stereotypes and typical plot structures of the Gothic novel, leading to a series of absurd events culminating in catastrophe.

After her downfall, her affectations and excessive imaginations become eventually subdued by the voice of reason in the form of Stuart, a paternal figure, under whose guidance the protagonist receives a sound education and correction of her misguided taste.

In 1816, the Biographical Dictionary of the Living Authors of Great Britain and Ireland compared it favourably to famous classics, describing it as "not inferior in wit and humour to Tristram Shandy, and in point of plot and interest infinitely beyond Don Quixote.

[3] It returned to print in 2011 with an edition published by Valancourt Books,[4] which specializes in "the rediscovery of rare, neglected, and out-of-print fiction".