This book examines the life of popular Victorian-era writer Mary Edwards Bryan up to publication of her first novel Manch. Its purpose is twofold. First, it aims to document the fascinating story of Bryan’s first forty years, an experience that ran significantly counter to much of what generally is understood about her background and influences. Second, it attempts to underscore Bryan’s remarkable talents as a southern writer, who, although know for mass-market Victorian fiction, craved the opportunity to express herself realistically. The book contains an introduction, twelve chapters, and an ... More

This book examines the life of popular Victorian-era writer Mary Edwards Bryan up to publication of her first novel Manch. Its purpose is twofold. First, it aims to document the fascinating story of Bryan’s first forty years, an experience that ran significantly counter to much of what generally is understood about her background and influences. Second, it attempts to underscore Bryan’s remarkable talents as a southern writer, who, although know for mass-market Victorian fiction, craved the opportunity to express herself realistically. The book contains an introduction, twelve chapters, and an afterword. They cover her family origins, her birth in 1839, and each year following to 1880. The chapters are organized chronologically. Each but one is divided between biographical material and Bryan’s own writings treating the featured period in her life.