Fiction Books:

Bessy Rane

Sorry, this product is not currently available to order

Here are some other products you might consider...

Bessy Rane

Click to share your rating 0 ratings (0.0/5.0 average) Thanks for your vote!

Format:

Paperback / softback
Unavailable
Sorry, this product is not currently available to order

Description

"Unlike Dickens, who crusaded against a variety of abuses in his fiction, Mrs. Henry Wood was not a reformer; she was a disapprover. She does not suggest that any change in society can overcome the ills of the age, only a stricter adherence to the dictates of the individual conscience. Mrs. North is not evil because of anything that has happened to her, but only because she chooses to be. The trade unions exist, in Mrs. Henry Wood's world, not because workers are badly paid, but simply because workers sometimes become rebellious, seduced by greed and avarice. She never questions that the rules of society should forbid marriage between a member of the gentry and the offspring of a convict, however virtuous the offspring; it goes without saying that social status is more important than character. Although this may make terrible social policy, it also makes for tragic and hence exciting fiction..." -- From Martha Bayless's introduction to Bessy Rane

Author Biography

Ellen Wood (1814 - 1887), was an English novelist, better known as Mrs. Henry Wood. She is remembered most for her 1861 novel East Lynne, but many of her books became international bestsellers and widely known in the United States. She surpassed the fame of Charles Dickens in Australia. In 1836 she married Henry Wood, who worked in the banking and shipping trade in Dauphine in the South of France, where they lived for 20 years. On the failure of Wood's business, the family (including four children) returned to England and settled in Upper Norwood near London, where Ellen Wood turned to writing. This supported the family after Henry Wood died in 1866. She wrote over 30 novels, many of which (especially East Lynne) enjoyed remarkable popularity. Among the best known are Danesbury House, Oswald Cray, Mrs. Halliburton's Troubles, The Channings, Lord Oakburn's Daughters and The Shadow of Ashlydyat. Her writing tone would be described as "conservative and Christian," occasionally expressing religious rhetoric. In 1867, Wood purchased the English magazine Argosy, which had been founded by Alexander Strahan in 1865. Wood continued as its editor until her death in 1887, when her son Charles Wood took over. Wood's works were translated into many languages, including French and Russian. Leo Tolstoy, in a March 1872 letter to his older brother Sergei, noted that he was "reading Mrs. Wood's wonderful novel In the Maze." Wood wrote several works of supernatural fiction, including "The Ghost" (1862) and the often anthologized "Reality or Delusion?" (1868).
Release date NZ
March 1st, 2004
Author
Contributor
  • Introduction by Martha, Bayless
Pages
408
Audience
  • General (US: Trade)
Publisher
Wildside Press
Country of Publication
United States
Imprint
Wildside Press
Dimensions
152x229x23
ISBN-13
9780809592708
Product ID
2212864

Customer reviews

Nobody has reviewed this product yet. You could be the first!

Write a Review

Marketplace listings

There are no Marketplace listings available for this product currently.
Already own it? Create a free listing and pay just 9% commission when it sells!

Sell Yours Here

Help & options

Filed under...