Maria Edgeworth (1767-1849)
Ireland

The second of five children, Maria Edgeworth's father made education no small matter, and wished with every bit of his heart for his young daughter to contribute something of import to the world. Her father sent her to be educated in a prestigious school in London, and one day through a letter, ordered her to write a story on generosity. Her father gave the same topic to a young man from Oxford, who was visiting the Edgeworth household. Maria's stepbrother judged the stories and declared Maria's the better of the two. Maria's earliest works were of romantic, horrifying, and extremely melodramatic subjects. In 1782, Maria assisted in managing her father's estates and there formed the conclusion that the upper class should be responsible for its tenants. This would be the subject of her later novels, and her motivation for helping the Irish peasants during the potato blight famine in 1845. Her first published work, Letters for Literary Ladies (1795), demanded reform in women's education. Her first novel, Castle Rackrent (1800), was her first success. Maria never married, despite a proposal from a Swedish count. She was also close friends with Sir Walter Scott. Nevertheless she was a renowned literary figure in her own right; her didactic novels portraying Irish peasant life reflected realism, humor, and her own unique style.

Works
Letters for Literary Ladies (1795)
Castle Rackrent (1800)
Belinda (1801)
Moral Tales (1801)
The Absentee (1812)

Sources:

Allard, Jody. Women Novelists. 6 Sept. 1998 <http://www.geocities.com/allardjr/lit.htm>