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Ellen Pickering (1802 – 25 November 1843) was a British novelist who published sixteen three-volume novels, one of them posthumously. At a time when stories about gypsies were common in nineteenth-century Victorian literature, Pickering achieved her greatest success with the novel Nan Darrell, or The Gypsy Mother (1839). Her books mixed history and romance in the style of Sir Walter Scott.
Her novel Nan Darrell, or The Gypsy Mother (1839) was her most successful book and was reprinted five times up to 1865, years after her death. The novel was first written just after the success of a gypsy trilogy published by British novelist Hannah Maria Jones (1784–1854). The motif of gypsies, particularly in the fictional role of kidnappers, was popular in nineteenth-century Victorian literature.Poovey, Mary (Fall 2000). "Recovering Ellen Pickering." The Yale Journal of Criticism, 13 (2): 437-452. . Nan Darrell, or The Gypsy Mother features a lead gypsy character reminiscent of Meg Merrilies from Scott's novel Guy Mannering.
Pickering died in Bath, Somerset, in 1843 of scarlet fever and was buried 29 November that year at St Mary's Church, Bathwick. Her partially complete novel The Grandfather was finished and published by her friend the novelist Elizabeth Youatt.
Legacy
Cultural historian Mary Poovey notes that Pickering "enjoyed success among her contemporaries but achieved no lasting legacy". Contemporary feminist scholars have debated the value of her work.Campbell, Jill (Fall 2000). "A Response to Mary Poovey's 'Recovering Ellen Pickering'." The Yale Journal of Criticism, 13 (2): 461–465. Homans, Margaret (Fall 2000). "A Response to Mary Poovey's 'Recovering Ellen Pickering'." The Yale Journal of Criticism, 13 (2): 453–460. Poovey, Mary (Fall 2000). "A Response to Margaret Homans and Jill Campbell." The Yale Journal of Criticism, 13 (2): 467–468.
Selected works
Pickering published a total of sixteen novels. The Grandfather was published posthumously.Her works by OCLC in order, from earliest to latest: The Marriage of the Favourite, or, She Bred Him a Soldier, 1826; The Heiress (three volumes), 1833; Agnes Serle, 1835 ; The Merchant's Daughter, 1836;
The Prince and the Pedler, or The Siege of Bristol, 1839; The Squire, 1837 ; Nan Darrell, or The Gipsy Mother, 1839; The Fright, 1839;
The Quiet Husband, 1840 ; Who Shall Be Heir?, 1840; The Secret Foe, 1841; The Expectant, 1842 ; Cousin Hinton, or, Friend or Foe?, 1843; Charades for Acting, 1843; The Grumbler, 1843 ; The Grandfather, 1846 (posthumous work)
Notes
Further reading
Categories: 1802 Births, 1843 Deaths, British Women Novelists, 19th-century British Novelists, Deaths From Streptococcus Infection, Victorian Women Writers, Victorian Novelists, Writers From Bath, Somerset, English Historical Novelists, 19th-century English Novelists, People From Lyndhurst, Hampshire, 19th-century English Women Novelists
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