Maria Edgeworth
Maria Edgeworth: A Pioneering Irish Writer
Full Name and Common Aliases
Maria Edgeworth was born on January 1, 1767, in Black Bourton, Oxfordshire, England, to Richard Lovell Edgeworth and Anna Maria Edgworth (née Sutherland). She is often referred to as the "Queen of Modern Historical Fiction" or simply Maria.
Birth and Death Dates
January 1, 1767 – May 22, 1849
Nationality and Profession(s)
Irish novelist, playwright, and women's rights advocate. Edgeworth was a prominent figure in Irish literature during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Early Life and Background
Maria Edgeworth grew up in a family of intellectuals and politicians. Her father, Richard Lovell Edgeworth, was an inventor, politician, and author who served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies. The family relocated to Ireland when Maria was four years old and settled at Edgeworthstown, County Longford. This move profoundly influenced her writing style, which often reflected the Irish landscape and culture.
Edgeworth's early life was marked by significant events that shaped her worldview. Her father introduced her to prominent thinkers and writers of the time, including Samuel Johnson and Edmund Burke. She also received a classical education at home, studying Latin, Greek, French, Italian, and mathematics. These intellectual pursuits instilled in her a passion for learning and writing.
Major Accomplishments
Maria Edgeworth's literary career spanned over four decades, producing some of the most influential works of her time. Her accomplishments include:
Writing novels that captured the Irish experience during the late 18th century, such as Castle Rackrent (1800) and Belinda (1801).
Advocating for women's education and rights through her writing.
Contributing to the development of the historical fiction genre.Notable Works or Actions
Edgeworth's notable works include:
The Absentee (1812): A novel that explores the complexities of Irish land ownership and the consequences of absentee landlords.
The Parent's Assistant (1796-1820): A series of children's stories promoting moral values and education.Impact and Legacy
Maria Edgeworth's impact on literature and society is multifaceted:
Her novels provided a nuanced portrayal of Irish life, challenging stereotypes and misconceptions.
Her advocacy for women's education helped pave the way for future generations of female writers and thinkers.
Her contributions to the historical fiction genre continue to influence authors today.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Maria Edgeworth is widely quoted and remembered due to her:
Groundbreaking novels that captured the complexities of Irish identity and culture.
Tireless advocacy for women's education and rights, inspiring future generations of women writers and thinkers.
* Enduring contributions to the historical fiction genre, continuing to influence authors today.
Maria Edgeworth's legacy serves as a testament to her dedication to writing, social justice, and education. Her work remains relevant and thought-provoking, continuing to inspire readers and writers alike.
Quotes by Maria Edgeworth
Maria Edgeworth's insights on:
Fortune’s wheel never stands still the highest point is therefore the most perilous.
Come when you’re called; And do as you’re bid; Shut the door after you; And you’ll never be chid.
Idleness, ennui, noise, mischief, riot, and a nameless train of mistaken notions of pleasure, are often classed, in a young man’s mind, under the general head of liberty.
In marrying, a man does not, to be sure, marry his wife’s mother; and yet a prudent man, when he begins to think of the daughter, would look sharp at the mother; ay, and back to the grandmother too, and along the whole female line of ancestry.
It is sometimes fortunate, that the means which are taken to produce certain effects upon the mind have a tendency directly opposite to what is expected.
According to the Asiatics, Cupid’s bow is strung with bees which are apt to sting, sometimes fatally, those who meddle with it.
Women are now so highly cultivated, and political subjects are at present of so much importance, of such high interest, to all human creatures who live together in society, you can hardly expect, Helen, that you, as a rational being, can go through the world as it is now, without forming any opinion on points of public importance. You cannot, I conceive, satisfy yourself with the common namby-pamby little missy phrase, “ladies have nothing to do with politics.
Nor elves, nor fays, nor magic charm, Have pow’r, or will, to work us harm; For those who dare the truth to tell, Fays, elves, and fairies, wish them well.
We are all apt to think that an opinion that differs from our own is a prejudice...
The common female blue is indeed intolerable as a wife – opinionative and opinionated; and her opinion always is that her husband is wrong. John certainly has a rooted aversion to this whole class. There is the deep blue and the light; the light blues not esteemed – not admitted at Almacks. The deep-dyed in the nine times dyed blue – is that with which no man dares contend. The blue chatterer is seen and heard every where; it no man will attempt to silence by throwing the handkerchief.