Ellen Wood

Mrs. Henry Wood

"Looks at the anxieties of the Victorian middle classes who feared a breakdown of the social order as divorce became more readily available and promiscuity threatened the sanctity of the family, [and wherein] the simple act of hiring a governess raises the spectres of murder, disguise, and adultery"--Provided by publisher.

East Lynne

Lady Isabel Carlyle, a beautiful and refined young woman, leaves her hard-working but neglectful lawyer-husband and her infant children to elope with an aristocratic suitor. After he deserts her, and she bears their illegitimate child, Lady Isabel disguises herself and takes the position of governess in the household of her husband and his new wife. East Lynne is the archetypal sensation novel, filled with disaster, guilt and repentance. It also documents the growing protest against the rigid roles prescribed for Victorian women. Among the many appendices included are a selection of Victorian medical views on men, women, and sexuality.

Kali Olson

• East Lynne by Ellen Wood, 2000 Broadview Press, originally published in 1861

Ellen Wood (1814-1887) wrote as “Mrs. Henry Wood,” giving the impression of a proper and genteel lady of the times. But her life was one of poverty and stress—a lifelong invalid, Ellen Wood married a man who quickly went broke. Mrs. Wood took to writing to support her family, often working on two novels at a time and completing them at breakneck speed. Fortunately her first novel, East Lynne, was a runaway hit that assured her a constant place in the bestseller lists. East Lynne is the name of a distinguished manor house owned by Mr. Carlyle, an equally distinguished, kind and steady young country lawyer. But his life is not free of turmoil—there’s a woman dear to him who falls victim to jealousy, rumor, and miscommunication, and a scandalous unsolved murder lurking in the neighborhood that affects another lovely young lady. The story and characters are infinitely more complicated—a fugitive son, a harping spinster, a devoted servant, a mysterious villain—and no one is entirely without guilt or innocence. Ellen Wood’s career was made with East Lynne and it was read by everyone from prince to pauper (quite literally; the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII, was a confessed fan of the book). Neglected for most of the last century, it’s back in print by Broadview Press. With its themes of guilt, repentance, and its suspenseful atmosphere of foreshadowed disaster, East Lynne is an archetype of the Sensation Novel.

East Lynne

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