Mary Charlton (fl. 1794–1824), Gothic novelist and translator, was a "leading light" at the
Minerva Press
Minerva Press was a publishing house, noted for creating a lucrative market in sentimental and Gothic fiction in the late 18th century and early 19th century. It was established by William Lane (c. 1745–1814) at No 33 Leadenhall Street, Lon ...
.
["Mary Charlton." Orlando: Women’s Writing in the British Isles from the Beginnings to the Present. Accessed 2022-07-20.]
Orlando
Work
Mary Charlton was a prolific novelist and translator for the popular
Minerva Press
Minerva Press was a publishing house, noted for creating a lucrative market in sentimental and Gothic fiction in the late 18th century and early 19th century. It was established by William Lane (c. 1745–1814) at No 33 Leadenhall Street, Lon ...
, to the extent that publisher
William Lane
William Lane (6 September 1861 – 26 August 1917) was an English-born journalist, author, advocate of Australian labour politics and a utopian socialist ideologue.
Lane was born in Bristol, England into an impoverished family. After showin ...
named her in sixth place on his list of "particular and favourite Authors" in his prospectus.
[Grenby, M. O. "Charlton, Mary (fl. 1794–1824), writer and translator." ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''. 03. Oxford University Press. Date of access 21 Jul. 2022.] Although the Press was frequently seen as low-brow and even disreputable, Charlton herself seems to have often received solid reviews: the ''Critical Review'' described ''Andronica'' as "interesting and amusing" and the ''Anti-Jacobin'' refers to the "elegant satire and delicate irony" of ''Rosella''.
[Rev. of ''Rosella'' by Mary Charlton in ''Anti-Jacobin'' Vol. 1 (1801): 59-60.]
Covey
''Rosella'' is "a satire on novel-reading"
and her other novels contain "socially critical" elements alongside the Gothic.
At least two of her novels, ''Rosella'' and ''The Pirate of Naples'', were translated into French and published in Paris, and several of her works went into second editions.
Life
Despite her professional success, next to nothing is known of her life. She is one of the "lost" women writers listed in
Dale Spender
Dale Spender (born 22 September 1943)''The Bibliography of Australian Literature: P–Z'' edited by John Arnold, John Hay (page 409). is an Australian feminist scholar, teacher, writer and consultant. In 1983, Dale Spender was co-founder of an ...
's ''
Mothers of the Novel: 100 Good Women Writers Before Jane Austen'' (1986).
Bibliography
Novels
*''The parisian; or, genuine anecdotes of distinguished and Noble Characters. In two volumes.'' (London: Minerva Press, 1794)
*''Andronica, or the fugitive bride, a novel, in two volumes. By Mary Charlton.'' (London: Minerva Press, 1797)
*''Ammorvin and Zallida. A novel. In two volumes.'' (London: Minerva Press, 1798)
*''Phedora; or, the forest of Minski. In four volumes. By Mary Charlton.'' (London: Minerva Press, 1798)
*''Rosella, or modern occurrences. A novel. In four volumes. By Mary Charlton, author of Phedora, &c.'' (London: Minerva; Paris; Dublin: P. Wogan, W. Porter, and T. Burnside, 1799)
*''The Pirate of Naples. A Novel. In three volumes. By Mary Charlton, Author of Rosella, Andronica, Phedora, &c.'' (London: Minerva; Paris: Le Normant, 1801)
*''The Wife and the Mistress. A Novel. In four volumes. By Mary Charlton, author of The Pirate of Naples, Rosella, Andronica, &c. &c.'' 4 volumes. (London: Minerva Press, 1802; 2nd ed: 1803)
*''The Philosophic Kidnapper. A Novel. In Three Volumes. Altered from the French by the Author of The Wife and The Mistress.'' (London: Minerva Press, 1803)
[The ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' categorizes this text as a translation, but the Women's Print History Project names Charlton as author rather than translator, presumably on the basis that the translation is to a significant extent creative.]
*''The Homicide. A Novel. Taken from The Comedie di
Goldoni, by Mary Charlton, author of "The Wife and Mistress" &c. In Two Volumes.'' (London: Minerva Press, 1805; 2nd ed: ''Rosaura di Viralva; or, The Homicide'' in 1813)
*''Grandeur and Meanness; or, Domestic Persecution. A Novel. In Three Volumes. By Mary Charlton, author of The Wife and Mistress, Rosella, &c. &c.'' (London: A.K. Newman, 1824)
*''Past Events. An Historical Novel, of the Eighteenth Century, by the author of "The Wife and the Mistress," "The Pirate of Naples," "Rosella," "Andronica," &c. &c. In three volumes.'' (London: R.P. Moore, 1824; 2nd ed: ''Past Events; or the Treacherous Guide, a Romance'', 1830)
Translations
*Lafontaine, August Heinrich Julius. ''The Reprobate. A Novel. In Two Volumes. Translated by the Author of The Wife and the Mistress, &c. The Original by Augustus La Fontaine.'' (London: Minerva Press, 1802)
*Lafontaine, August Heinrich Julius. ''The Rake and the Misanthrope. A Novel. In Two Volumes. From the German of Augustus La Fontaine.''(London: Minerva Press, 1804)
Children's literature
* ''Mrs. Charlton's pathetic poetry for youth: calculated to awaken the sympathetic affections.'' (London: Knevett, Arliss, and Baker, 1811; 2nd ed.: Whittingham and Arliss, 1815)
Etexts
*''Grandeur and Meanness; or, Domestic persecution. A novel''. (London: A. K. Newman & Co, 1824.)
British Library
* ''The homicide. A novel. Taken from the comedie di Goldoni''. 2 volumes (London: Minerva-Press, 1805) (Internet Archive
Vol. IVol. II; (HathiTrust
Vol. IVol. II
* ''The Parisian, or, Genuine Anecdotes of Distinguished and Noble Characters'' (London: William Lane, 1794)
PDF
at Chawton House Library)
*''Past Events. An historical novel of the eighteenth century, by the author of "The Wife and the Mistress," etc.'' (London, 1824)
British Library
*''Phedora; or, the Forest of Minski. A novel.'' (London: William Lane, 1798)
British Library
*''Le pirate de Naples. Traduit de l'anglais''. (Paris: Le Normant, 1801.)
British Library
*''The Reprobate. A Novel. In Two Volumes. Translated by the Author of The Wife and the Mistress, &c. The Original by Augustus La Fontaine.'' (London: Minerva Press, 1802) (Google Books
Vol. IVol. II
* ''Rosella, or Modern occurrences, a novel''. 2 volumes (Orig. pub. 1799. Dublin: P. Wogan, W. Porter, and T. Burnside, 1800) (Internet Archive
Vol. I
Vol. II
; (HathiTrust
Vol. IVol. II
* ''The wife and the mistress. A novel.'' 4 volumes. 2nd edition. (Orig. pub. 1802. London: Lane and Newman, 1803.) (Internet Archive
Vol. IVol. IIVol. IIIVol. IV
; (HathiTrust
Vol. IVol. IIVol. IIIVol. IV
Online books by Mary Charlton
" UPenn.
Notes
Resources
*"Charlton, Mary." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 629. Accessed 2022-07-20.
WPHP
Corvey Women Writers on the Web Author's Page
* Grenby, M. O. "Charlton, Mary (fl. 1794–1824), writer and translator." ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''. 03. Oxford University Press. Accessed 2022-07-20.
*"Mary Charlton." Orlando: Women’s Writing in the British Isles from the Beginnings to the Present. Accessed 2022-07-20.
Orlando
See also
*List of Minerva Press authors
This is an alphabetical list of authors who published at Minerva Press, or with William Lane before he coined the name, between the founding of the press in 1790 and 1820 or so when Lane's successor, A. K. Newman, dropped "Minerva" from the com ...
*Minerva Press
Minerva Press was a publishing house, noted for creating a lucrative market in sentimental and Gothic fiction in the late 18th century and early 19th century. It was established by William Lane (c. 1745–1814) at No 33 Leadenhall Street, Lon ...
External links
*
{{Authority control
18th-century British novelists
18th-century English women writers
19th-century English women writers
English women novelists