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The mention of 19th-century women’s literature often brings to mind iconic figures like the Brontë sisters, Jane Austen, or George Eliot, along with their timeless works such as Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, and Middlemarch. However, names like Mrs. Henry Wood, Charlotte Riddell, and Maria Edgeworth have faded into obscurity, despite their Victorian-era novels being wildly successful and lucrative. For instance, while Austen self-funded the publication of Mansfield Park, Edgeworth earned a staggering £2100 for a single novel. Discover some of the most remarkable yet forgotten female authors of the Victorian era.
1. Maria Edgeworth
Shanequinlan01, Wikimedia Commons // Public DomainBorn in England to a prosperous father, Maria Edgeworth spent much of her childhood in Ireland after her family relocated there in 1782. Her education alternated between homeschooling and various schools as the Edgeworths shuttled between England and Ireland. Eventually, she became her father’s right hand, assisting in managing their estate. Her literary career began in the mid-1790s, culminating in the publication of her debut novel, Castle Rackrent, in 1800.
Edgeworth’s unique background freed her writing from the societal constraints typically imposed on women of her era, leading to widespread acclaim. By 1813, she had become a literary sensation, mingling with luminaries like Lord Byron and Sir Walter Scott. Her success peaked in 1814 when she received a staggering £2100 for her novel Patronage.
Must Read Novel: Castle Rackrent
2. Charlotte Riddell
Charlotte Riddell (née Cowan) hailed from Ireland, though her upbringing was far less privileged than Edgeworth’s. Her mother was English, and after her father’s passing in 1851, Charlotte and her mother moved to London around 1855. There, she turned to writing—first to care for her ailing mother, and later to support her husband, J.H. Riddell, whom she married in 1857 and who was perpetually in financial trouble.
Her early attempts at writing faced repeated rejections. She later recounted her struggles in London, saying, “I couldn’t eat; I couldn’t sleep; I could only wander the ‘stony-hearted streets,’ submitting my manuscripts to publisher after publisher, only to have them all rejected.” However, Thomas Cautley Newby eventually published some of her short stories under the pseudonym F.G. Trafford. In 1856, her work The Moors and the Fens was accepted by Smith and Elder, the same firm that published Charlotte Brontë and Thackeray, and it was released under her Trafford alias.
As Emma Dale points out in her introduction to a reissued edition of Riddell’s semi-autobiographical novel A Struggle for Fame, “Female authors often adopted male or gender-neutral pseudonyms to avoid bias from critics and readers due to their gender.” By the 1860s, however, Riddell earned substantial sums for her work and, as Dale notes, “was successful enough to defy this convention.” She was persuaded to publish under her real name, Mrs. J.H. Riddell. In 1967, Riddell became a co-owner and editor of
Must Read Novel: The Moors and Fens
3. Ellen Price, a.k.a. Mrs. Henry Wood
Rebecca BatleyFrom a young age, Ellen Price was immersed in literature and started writing as a child. Although none of her early works remain—she regrettably destroyed them—she later resumed writing to provide for her family after her husband’s business collapsed. While living in France with her husband, Wood began submitting short stories to New Monthly Magazine. Her debut novel, Danesbury House, was crafted for a competition, earning her £100 and establishing her as a notable literary figure.
Wood rose to fame with her sensational (though improbable) 1861 novel East Lynne, captivating readers across all social classes. By the close of her 30-year career, she was making £6000 annually. Her novels achieved global reach, even outselling Charles Dickens in places like Australia.
Wood passed away in 1887. Her obituary in the London Illustrated News hailed her as “one of the most beloved female voices in popular literature,” while The Times referred to her as a “literary phenomenon.”
Must Read Novel: East Lynne
4. Mary Russell Mitford
traveler1116/iStock via Getty Images PlusRegarded by many as an unparalleled writer and playwright, Mary Mitford counted Samuel Coleridge and Elizabeth Barrett-Browning among her admirers, exchanging nearly 500 letters with the latter. Her dramatic tragedy Rienzi was staged 34 times, and over 8000 copies of the play were sold.
Mitford’s most acclaimed work was her series of prose sketches, titled Our Village, serialized in Lady’s Magazine. As reported by The Times, these stories became a national sensation, with “no household in the country untouched by their charm.” The success allowed Mitford to purchase her own countryside retreat.
Must Read Novel: Our Village
5. Sarah E. Farro
Born in Illinois in 1859, Sarah Farro emerged as one of only five African-American novelists to publish in the 19th century, and the second Black woman to achieve this feat. Her debut and only novel, True Love, released in 1891, captivated readers with its melodramatic and imaginative style. The book was especially popular in the UK, where audiences were drawn to its American origins and its homage to British authors like Thackeray and Holmes.
In the U.S., Farro’s novel was showcased at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exhibition, boosting her fame. However, her work has largely faded into obscurity today. As noted by University of Massachusetts Amherst professor Gretchen Gerzina in The Conversation, “The likely reason for True Love’s disappearance is its setting in England—a place Farro likely never visited—and its all-white cast.” Farro drew inspiration from her favorite writers, including Charles Dickens and Oliver Wendell Holmes. Gerzina adds, “Had Farro looked to Black female authors writing about Black women, her novel might have taken a different direction.”
Once a household name in the 1890s, Sarah Farro’s fame has since faded into obscurity, her name rarely mentioned despite her earlier prominence in newspapers and among readers.
Must Read Novel: True Love: A Story of English Domestic Life
6. Mary Elizabeth Braddon
Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesMary Elizabeth Braddon, born in London in 1835, experienced an unconventional upbringing. Her mother, Fanny, broke societal norms by leaving her unfaithful husband when Mary was just 4, raising her three children alone. Braddon began writing early and attended various schools before relocating to Bath to pursue acting. In 1861, she caused a scandal by moving in with John Maxwell, a married man and the publisher of some of her works. They married in October 1874, a month after Maxwell’s first wife passed away.
Braddon’s 1862 novel Lady Audley's Secret catapulted her to fame and brought her considerable wealth. She maintained a prolific output, publishing two novels annually, which enabled her to purchase a grand home. By her death in 1915, Braddon had authored more than 80 novels and numerous magazine articles.
Must Read Novel: Lady Audley’s Secret
7. Ann Radcliffe
Known as the “Queen of Gothic Novels” and the “Shakespeare of Romance Writers,” Ann Radcliffe (née Ward), born in 1764, outsold nearly every other female author of the 19th century. Her legacy endures through her 1794 work The Mysteries of Udolpho, famously referenced in Jane Austen’s gothic parody, Northanger Abbey.
Radcliffe was intensely private and remarkably shy, leaving little known about her personal life. In 1787, she married journalist William Radcliffe, who motivated her to write as a pastime. Her debut novel, The Castles of Athlin and Dunbayne, was released in 1789.
Radcliffe authored five novels during her lifetime, captivating readers with a mix of terror, delight, and enchantment. Her works were immensely popular, making her the highest-earning writer of the early 19th century. After the 1797 publication of The Italian, she ceased writing fiction, reportedly because she no longer needed the income, and turned to poetry, though with less acclaim. Radcliffe passed away in 1823 due to pneumonia complications, and her final novel, Gaston de Blondeville, was published after her death.
Must Read Novel: The Mysteries of Udolpho
