Radicalism, Caution, and Censorship in Elizabeth Inchbald's Every One Has His Fault

Abstract

Elizabeth Inchbald was known in her own time as a radical, but she was also a cautious and pragmatic writer who succeeded in negotiating the oppressive political and cultural climate of the revolutionary decade. This essay examines Inchbald's play Every One Has His Fault (1793) as a text that intervenes on the side of a prorevolution agenda, dealing with issues such as patriarchal power and the William Godwin/Thomas Holcroft notion of "truth." Inchbald's success in navigating legal and censorial systems of power is evident in the fact that although this play escaped the notice of John Larpent, the Chief Examiner of Plays, it presents a forthright, progressive commentary on the political and social issues of the time.