List of early-modern British women novelists

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This is an alphabetical list of female novelists who were active in England and Wales, and the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland before approximately 1800. Nota bene: authors of novels are the focus of this list, though many of these writers worked in more than one genre.

"Beauty in search of knowledge"
"Beauty in search of knowledge". (Young woman in front of a circulating library, where most readers accessed novels in the 18th century. Mezzotint, printed by R. Sayer & J. Bennett, London, 1782.)

Novelists[edit]

A[edit]

B[edit]

C[edit]

D[edit]

E[edit]

F[edit]

G[edit]

H[edit]

I[edit]

J[edit]

K[edit]

L[edit]

M[edit]

N[edit]

O[edit]

P[edit]

R[edit]

S[edit]

T[edit]

V[edit]

W[edit]

Y[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  2. ^ Referred to in E. M. Forster.
  3. ^ ”Bayley, Catharine.” The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2768. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  4. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  5. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  6. ^ "Bouverie, Sophia." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2746. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Listed in Dale Spender's Mothers of the novel: 100 good women writers before Jane Austen (Pandora, 1986, p. 119ff). Spender is notable for her work recuperating the work of women writers long out of print.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Todd, Janet, ed. A Dictionary of British and American women writers, 1660-1800. Totowa, N.J.: Rowman & Allanheld, 1985. (Internet Archive)
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Republished in the Pandora Press "Mothers of the Novel" series, 1986–1989.
  10. ^ "Bullock, Mrs." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2242. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  11. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  12. ^ "Sarah Butler." Orlando: Women’s Writing in the British Isles from the Beginnings to the Present. Cambridge UP.
  13. ^ Chawton House has a PDF of her Irish Tales (1716).
  14. ^ "C., Lady Mary." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2672. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  15. ^ Chawton House has a PDF of her The Offspring of Fancy (1778).
  16. ^ "Carver, Mrs." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2228. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  17. ^ Chawton House has a PDF of her The Old Woman (1800).
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Turner, Cheryl. Living by the pen: women writers in the eighteenth century. Routledge, 1992.
  19. ^ "Colpoys, Mrs." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2624. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  20. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  21. ^ "Croffts, Mrs." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2319. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  22. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  23. ^ "Draper, Sarah." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2436. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  24. ^ "Elson, Jane." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 1632. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  25. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  26. ^ "Frances, Sophia." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2733. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  27. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  28. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  29. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  30. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  31. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  32. ^ "Howell, Ann." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 1025. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  33. ^ Chawton House has a 1787 PDF of Hughes's Caroline; or, the Diversities of Fortune (1787).
  34. ^ "Hunter, Maria." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 1898. Accessed 2022-06-12.
  35. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  36. ^ "Isaacs, Mrs." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2691. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  37. ^ "Johnson, Mrs." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2306. Accessed 2022-09-29.
  38. ^ Chawton House has a PDF of her Francis, the Philanthropist: an unfashionable tale (1786).
  39. ^ "Jones, Harriet." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2663. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  40. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  41. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  42. ^ "Lansdell, Sarah". The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2428. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  43. ^ "Leslie, Mrs." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2693. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  44. ^ "Leycester, Martha-Elizabeth." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2592. Accessed 2022-09-29.
  45. ^ Chawton House has a PDF of her The Cottage of Friendship (1788).
  46. ^ a b c d e Minerva Press, British Fiction 1800–1829 Database
  47. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  48. ^ ”Malden, Miriam.” The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2718. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  49. ^ a b c d e f Summers, Montague. A Gothic Bibliography (1941; available online at Internet Archive).
  50. ^ "Martin, Mrs." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 281. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  51. ^ Chawton House has a PDF of her The Enchantress; or, Where Shall I Find Her? A Tale (1801).
  52. ^ Chawton House has a PDF of her Simple Facts or the History of an Orphan (1793).
  53. ^ "Mathews, Mrs." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 281. Accessed 2022-29-09.
  54. ^ "Mathews, Mrs." Orlando: Women’s Writing in the British Isles from the Beginnings to the Present. Cambridge UP.
  55. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  56. ^ ”Matthew, Charlotte.” The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2694. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  57. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  58. ^ ”Mills, Frances Mary.” The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2695. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  59. ^ ”Moore, Marian.” The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2703. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  60. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  61. ^ Neiman, Elizabeth, and Christina Morin. "Re-evaluating the Minerva Press: introduction." Romantic textualties: literature and print culture, 1780–1840. Issue 23: Special Issue: The Minerva Press and the literary marketplace (Summer 2020): 15.
  62. ^ Chawton House has a PDF of her The Solemn Injunction (1798).
  63. ^ "Neri, Mary Anne." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2719. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  64. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  65. ^ ”Oakes, Susanna.” The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2704. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  66. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  67. ^ ”Ormsby, Anne.” The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2705. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  68. ^ "Parker, Mary Elizabeth." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 1479. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  69. ^ "Catherine Parry." Orlando: Women’s Writing in the British Isles from the Beginnings to the Present. Cambridge UP.
  70. ^ Author of Castle of Wolfenbach (London: Minerva Press, 1793) and The Mysterious Warning, a German Tale (London: Minerva Press, 1796), two of the seven "horrid novels" mentioned in Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey.
  71. ^ "Sarah Pearson." Orlando: Women’s Writing in the British Isles from the Beginnings to the Present. Cambridge UP.
  72. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  73. ^ ”Peck, Frances.” The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2754. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  74. ^ "M. Peddle." Orlando: Women’s Writing in the British Isles from the Beginnings to the Present. Cambridge UP.
  75. ^ "Philipps, Janetta." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 4853. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  76. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  77. ^ ”Pickar, Mary.” The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2729. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  78. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  79. ^ “Ratcliffe, Eliza.” The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2755. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  80. ^ ”Rhodes, Henrietta.” The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2791. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  81. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  82. ^ "Corvey has moved | Sheffield Hallam University".
  83. ^ "Roberts, Mrs. D." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2735. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  84. ^ "Corvey has moved | Sheffield Hallam University".
  85. ^ "Robertson, Eliza Frances.” The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2720. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  86. ^ Author of Clermont (London: Minerva Press, 1798), one of the seven "horrid novels" mentioned in Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey.
  87. ^ Author of The balance of comfort; or The old maid and married woman. A novel. London: Minerva Press, 1818 (Internet Archive) and The woman of genius. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1821 (Internet Archive)
  88. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  89. ^ "Scott, Honoria.” The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2783. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  90. ^ "Sheriffe, Sarah." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2686. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  91. ^ "Showes, Mrs." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 365. Accessed 2022-06-09. ()
  92. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  93. ^ “Sinclair, Caroline." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2765. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  94. ^ Author of The Orphan of the Rhine (London: Minerva Press, 1798), one of the seven "horrid novels" mentioned in Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey.
  95. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  96. ^ “Smith, Julia.” The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2785. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  97. ^ "Smith, Maria Lavinia." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2697. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  98. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  99. ^ “St. Victor, Helen.” The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2756. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  100. ^ "Street, Miss." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2171. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  101. ^ "Stuart, Augusta Amelia." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2594. Accessed 2022-06-14.
  102. ^ Stuart's Cava of Toledo; or, the Gothic Princess (Minerva, 1812) is available from Chawton House as a PDF.
  103. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  104. ^ "Taylor, Miss." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2166. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  105. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  106. ^ “Tharmott, Maria.” The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2744. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  107. ^ Lonsdale, Roger ed. "Ann Thomas." Eighteenth-Century Women Poets: An Oxford Anthology. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989, p. 361.
  108. ^ "Thomson, Anna." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2257. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  109. ^ "Thomson, Harriet." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2721. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  110. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  111. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  112. ^ “Trelawney, Anne." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2757. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  113. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  114. ^ “Tuck, Mary.” The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2722. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  115. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  116. ^ "Ventum, Harriet.” The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2698. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  117. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  118. ^ "Wingrove, Ann.” The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 1041. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  119. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  120. ^ ”Woodfall, Sophia.” The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 599. Accessed 2023-01-02.
  121. ^ "A. Woodfin." Orlando: Women’s Writing in the British Isles from the Beginnings to the Present. Cambridge UP.
  122. ^ "Woodthorpe, Augusta Maria." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2766. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  123. ^ "Wright, Elizabeth." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2699. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  124. ^ "Yorke, Mrs. R. P. M." The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2687. Accessed 2022-06-09.
  125. ^ Corvey Women Writers on the Web author page
  126. ^ ”Young, Henrietta Maria.” The Women's Print History Project, 2019, Person ID 2767. Accessed 2023-01-02.

Resources[edit]

  • Backscheider, Paula, and John Richetti, eds. Popular Fiction by Women, 1660–1730: An Anthology. Oxford: OUP, 1996. (Internet Archive)
  • Ballaster, Ros. Seductive Forms: Women's Amatory Fiction from 1684 to 1740. Clarendon Press, 1992.
  • Blain, Virginia, et al., eds. The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. New Haven and London: Yale UP, 1990. (Internet Archive)
  • Buck, Claire, ed.The Bloomsbury Guide to Women's Literature. Prentice Hall, 1992. (Internet Archive)
  • Corman, Brian. Women Novelists Before Jane Austen: The Critics and Their Canons. University of Toronto Press, 2008. [1]https://doi.org/10.3138/9781442689633
  • Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford: OUP, 2004.
  • Prescott, Sarah. Women, Authorship and Literary Culture, 1690–1740. Palgrave, 2003.
  • Robertson, Fiona, ed. Women's Writing, 1778–1838. Oxford: OUP, 2001. (Internet Archive)
  • Schellenberg, Betty A. The Professionalization of Women Writers in Eighteenth-Century Britain. Cambridge University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-521-85060-6.
  • Schlueter, Paul, and June Schlueter. An encyclopedia of British women writers. Rutgers University Press, 1998. (Internet Archive)
  • Spencer, Jane. The Rise of the Woman Novelist: From Aphra Behn to Jane Austen. 1986.
  • Spender, Dale. Mothers of the novel: 100 good women writers before Jane Austen. London/NY:Pandora, 1986. (Internet Archive)
  • Todd, Janet, ed. British Women Writers: a critical reference guide. London: Routledge, 1989. (Internet Archive)
  • Todd, Janet. A Dictionary of British and American women writers, 1660–1800. Totowa, N.J.: Rowman & Allanheld, 1985. (Internet Archive)
  • Williams, K. "Women Writers and the Rise of the Novel." The History of British Women's Writing, 1690–1750. Edited by R. Ballaster. Series: The History of British Women's Writing. Palgrave Macmillan, 2010. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230298354_7

External links[edit]

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