Coelebs in Search of a Wife
Coelebs in Search of a Wife is a novel by the British Christian moralist Hannah More. It was followed by Coelebs Married in 1814.
It is sometimes known by the title Coelebs in Search of a Wife: Commprehending Observations on Domestic Habits and Manners, Religion and Morals.
The novel focuses on Cœlebs, a well-to-do young man who tries to find a wife who can meet the lofty moral requirements laid down by his mother.
Coelebs in Search of a Wife was extremely popular when it was published. It combined its novelistic narrative with religious lessons, which helped it to become the first nineteenth century novel to be accepted enthusiastically by the large religious reading public.
Maria Edgeworth, in an 1810 letter to Mrs. Ruxton, claims that the bachelor was modeled on a Mr. Harford of Blaise Castle.
Frank Muir said "it is now high on the list of the world's most unreadable books".
