Annie Edwards (c. 1830–1896), also known as Annie Edwardes, was a popular English novelist in the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

. Three of her 21 books were adapted for the theatre. Perhaps her best-known work is her 1866 novel, ''Archie Lovell'', which the playwright

F. C. Burnand Sir Francis Cowley Burnand (29 November 1836 – 21 April 1917), usually known as F. C. Burnand, was an English comic writer and prolific playwright, best known today as the librettist of Arthur Sullivan's opera ''Cox and Box''. The son of ...

adapted in 1874.

Life and career

Annie Cook was born in approximately 1830, was married to John Edwards and had one known child, a son, born in 1859. No one has yet discovered her exact birthplace or hometown, although the location of her novels suggest that she spent part of her life in the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

. When she became an established author, she began to use the surname "Edwardes", perhaps to differentiate her work from her female contemporaries,

Amelia Edwards Amelia Ann Blanford Edwards (7 June 1831 – 15 April 1892), also known as Amelia B. Edwards, was an English novelist, journalist, traveller and Egyptologist. Her literary successes included the ghost story "The Phantom Coach" (1864), the novel ...

and

Matilda Betham-Edwards Matilda Betham-Edwards (4 March 1836, in Westerfield, Ipswich – 4 January 1919, in Hastings) was an English novelist, travel writer and Francophile, and a prolific poet, who corresponded with several well-known English male poets of the day. ...

. Her literary career began in 1858 with the publication of her first novel, ''The Morals of May Fair''. '' The Examiner'' called it "one of the cleverest novels of the day," and the ''

Literary Gazette ''The Literary Gazette'' was a British literary magazine, established in London in 1817 with its full title being ''The Literary Gazette, and Journal of Belles Lettres, Arts, Sciences''. Sometimes it appeared with the caption title, "London Lite ...

'', though lamenting its overambitious plot, conceded that the story was "powerfully imagined". Her first major breakthrough occurred eight years and six novels later with the publication of ''Archie Lovell''. The Saturday Review likened the appearance of this novel to the transformation of an ugly duckling into a swan, and the ''London Review'' stated that the public would take "deepened interest" in her career after reading such an enjoyable novel. It was also her first novel to be published in the United States. As her career progressed, the heroines of her novels became less traditional and more

Bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

. Her novel ''Archie Lovell'' has been called "the apotheosis of Bohemianism." After its success in 1866, Edwards began to produce novels with more daring heroines, which due to their popularity, raised her average fee up to a respectable £500 per work and placed her among the notable novelists of her time. In 1869,

adapted her novel ''The Morals of May Fair'' into a play entitled ''The Turn of the Tide''. Although it received poor reviews in the ''

Athenaeum Athenaeum may refer to: Books and periodicals * ''Athenaeum'' (German magazine), a journal of German Romanticism, established 1798 * ''Athenaeum'' (British magazine), a weekly London literary magazine 1828–1921 * ''The Athenaeum'' (Acadia U ...

'', the public seemed to enjoy the adaptation, and it showed "every sign of a success." Five years later, Burnand used her work again in the play ''Archie Lovell'', which was also fairly popular. The third and final novel to be adapted as a play was ''Ought We to Visit Her?'' by

W. S. Gilbert Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most f ...

in 1874. In 1896, Edwards died in the care of her son, who was then practising medicine. Her last novel, ''A Plaster Saint'', was published posthumously and without final revisions.

Popularity and criticism

Edwards' work was often advertised and serialized in widely read literary magazines, which indicates that she was a well-known and popular author. Ten of her novels were serialized in

Richard Bentley Richard Bentley FRS (; 27 January 1662 – 14 July 1742) was an English classical scholar, critic, and theologian. Considered the "founder of historical philology", Bentley is widely credited with establishing the English school of Hellen ...

's famous magazine '' Temple Bar'', and her books were frequently advertised in magazines such as the ''

'', '' Saturday Review'', and '' Scots Observer''. Since only popular authors were given spacious advertisements, Edwards was probably a famous author of the mid to late 19th century due to her continual presence in literary magazines. According to the ''Saturday Review'', her typical story was amusing, "a good shilling's worth of its kind," since she adeptly combined the styles of various well-known authors: "a fair dose of

Ouida Ouida (; 1 January 1839 – 25 January 1908) was the pseudonym of the English novelist Maria Louise Ramé (although she preferred to be known as Marie Louise de la Ramée). During her career, Ouida wrote more than 40 novels, as well as sh ...

, a small allowance of M.

Octave Feuillet Octave Feuillet (11 July 1821 – 29 December 1890) was a French novelist and dramatist. His work stands midway between the romanticists and the realists. He is renowned for his "distinguished and lucid portraiture of life", depictions of fem ...

, a situation from a once popular play, and a phrase or two from

Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...

." Critics would often excuse perceived faults in her novels by recalling her overall charm, cleverness, and entertaining style of writing. '' The Academy'' called her "one of the cleverest of living lady novelists"; the ''Saturday Review'' congratulated her work for its "charming" beauty; and even the demanding ''Athenaeum'' reviewers, despite their criticism, still admitted that her stories were "clever" and "most amusing". She was also praised for her excellent descriptions. The ''Athenaeum'' noticed "her descriptive power" in the novel ''Jet,'' and the ''Saturday Review'' stated that ''A Ballroom Repentance'', despite its vulgarity, showed that Edwards possessed "descriptive strength." Although critics seem to have appreciated Edwards's descriptive skills in general, they disapproved of her detailed attention to sexual emotions, particularly regarding women. "It does not gratify us to read that a young lady 'heaves palpitating sighs,' or that 'her small white face is bathed in sweats,'" the ''Saturday Review'' wrote. Her work was sometimes viewed as needlessly vulgar – or, as

George Saintsbury George Edward Bateman Saintsbury, FBA (23 October 1845 – 28 January 1933), was an English critic, literary historian, editor, teacher, and wine connoisseur. He is regarded as a highly influential critic of the late 19th and early 20th centu ...

stated – it was "the reverse of subtle." In the case of her novel ''Leah'', the ''Athenaeum'' noted that "the devious and dirty paths through which her characters are dragged, produce more effect upon the reader than the ultimate triumph of virtue succeeds in counteracting." However, readers and reviewers seemed to permit these lapses in tastefulness for the sake of entertainment, as Edwards remained popular. According to the ''Saturday Review'', she was first and foremost an excellent storyteller, a skill which evidently excused her ethical shortcomings. Critics also regularly pointed out technical faults in Edwards's writing, especially regarding grammar and spelling. While they remained respectful of her wit and storytelling skills, they were disappointed in her workmanship: "She has not made such good use of her materials as might have been expected,"

William Ernest Henley William Ernest Henley (23 August 184911 July 1903) was an English poet, writer, critic and editor. Though he wrote several books of poetry, Henley is remembered most often for his 1875 poem "Invictus". A fixture in London literary circles, the o ...

stated about her novel ''Jet''.

blamed her mistakes on "that dreadful person the printer", but other magazines were more straightforward. The ''Athenaeum'' described her spelling as "antiquated" and remarked that her choice of "Miladi" (instead of "My Lady") was "perversely spelt." Moreover, reviewers criticized her decision to write ''A Ballroom Repentance'' in the present tense. Saintsbury called it a "monstrosity" that she had "committed." He also questioned her factual accuracy, or at least the reliability of her sources. Saintsbury believed that rather than experiencing events first-hand or interviewing respectable individuals, her facts were based primarily on the comments of society journals, mixed with satirical remarks from high-brow magazines. He likened the literary combination to the controversial

iguanodon ''Iguanodon'' ( ; meaning 'iguana-tooth'), named in 1825, is a genus of iguanodontian dinosaur. While many species have been classified in the genus ''Iguanodon'', dating from the late Jurassic Period to the early Cretaceous Period of Asia, Eu ...

of Professor

Richard Owen Sir Richard Owen (20 July 1804 – 18 December 1892) was an English biologist, comparative anatomist and paleontologist. Owen is generally considered to have been an outstanding naturalist with a remarkable gift for interpreting fossils. Owe ...

, only "considerably less satisfactory." Nevertheless, Edwards remained popular even after her death. Records from Mudie's Library show that at least one of her novels, ''Archie Lovell'', was still requested and read by patrons in 1914, nearly 50 years after it was published. Her novel ''A Blue-Stocking'' is considered to be one of the first

New Woman The New Woman was a feminist ideal that emerged in the late 19th century and had a profound influence well into the 20th century. In 1894, Irish writer Sarah Grand (1854–1943) used the term "new woman" in an influential article, to refer to ...

writings.

Works

These are the first published UK editions of her novels as cataloged by the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

. *''The Morals of May Fair'' (1858) *''Creeds'' (1859) *''The World's Verdict'' (1861) *''A Point of Honour'' (1863) *''The Ordeal for Wives'' (1864) *''Miss Forrester'' (1865) *''Archie Lovell'' (1866) *''Steven Lawrence, Yeoman'' (1868) *''Susan Fielding'' (1869) *''Ought we to Visit Her?'' (1871) *''A Vagabond Heroine'' (1873) *''Leah: a woman of Fashion'' (1875) *''A Blue-Stocking'' (1877) *''Jet: her face or her fortune?'' (1878) *''Vivian the Beauty'' (1879) *''A Ballroom Repentance'' (1882) *''A Girton Girl'' (1885) *''A Playwright's Daughter'' (1886) *''Pearl Powder'' (1890) *''The Adventuress'' (1894) *''A Plaster Saint'' (1899) The

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

catalogue shows that her novels were occasionally given different titles in America from the ones they bore in the United Kingdom, e. g. ''Philip Earnscliffe'' (''The Morals of May Fair''), ''Estelle'' (''Creeds''), ''Delicate Ground'' (''The Ordeal for Wives''), and ''Rival Charms'' (''A Blue-Stocking''). Her final three novels were never published in the United States, possibly due to copyright restrictions resulting from the

International Copyright Act of 1891 The International Copyright Act of 1891 (, March 3, 1891) is the first U.S. congressional act that extended limited protection to foreign copyright holders from select nations. Formally known as the "International Copyright Act of 1891", but more ...

, which prevented publishers from pirating foreign work.Kay, Stephanie.
Victorian Sensationalism in Post-Civil War America: The American Reception of Sensational British Women Authors, 1865–1899
" MA thesis Radboud University, 2012. ''figshare.'' Retrieved 10 September 2014, p.55.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Annie 1830 births 1896 deaths English women novelists 19th-century English novelists 19th-century English women writers