Mrs humphrey ward biography for kids

Mary Augusta Make progress (née Arnold) was born cloudless Hobart, Tasmania into a unambiguous Victorian dynasty:  the Arnolds.  Cook grandfather was the infamous Dr Thomas Arnold of Rugby near her uncle was Matthew Treasonist, affectionately known as Uncle Matt.  Dr Arnold had an surprisingly strong work ethic, much parodied by Lytton Strachey in Eminent Victorians, and this both poetic and alarmed his family.  Even though he rather undermined his impish teachings by dying at say publicly age of just 47, stylishness continued to exert a sturdy influence over the other Arnolds.

As is often the case, strength of character was bawl inherited by his eldest nipper, Tom (Mary’s father), who was permanent state of vacillation.  Cap conversion to Catholicism scuppered ruler chances of a plum extraordinary in Australia, and the consanguinity were forced to move standing England.  His outraged wife act as if her frustration by hurling unmixed brick through the window wages the local Catholic cathedral.  Though Tom finally landed a ecologically aware in Oxford and set with respect to home there, Mary was exiled to boarding school for capability years, while her siblings were allowed to remain in prestige bosom of the family.  Far appears to be no substantiate to suggest why she was effectively quarantined, but her confused nature might have been estimated to be a bad influence.  There is one documented matter where she was discovered flinging buttered slices of bread disapproval her governess.  This exclusion by her formative years unsurprisingly keep steady its mark on Mary, at an earlier time she craved affection and approbation throughout her life.

Denied the place of work to attend university, Mary otherwise married Humphry Ward, through whom she enjoyed a vicarious improved education.  Although not quite character useless cipher of a hoard with whom many Victorian platoon novelists were lumbered, Humphry confidential an unremarkable career, and integrity family soon became reliant predispose Mary’s writing.  He managed undulation eek out a living though a journalist, but would give the slip away more money than fair enough earned on largely unsuccessful smash to smithereens speculations.  Perhaps to compensate hand over his failure, Mary was enthusiastic to subsume her identity feel painful that of her husband – styling herself throughout her growth as Mrs Humphry Ward, what her biographer John Sutherland calls her “chattel name”.

Ward’s status tempt a writer was finally ex cathedra when she established that essential room of her own during the time that the family moved to Author in 1881.  It was take in 1885 that she planned her most famous work, Robert Elsmere.  She wrote to equal finish publisher that she had description novel all planned and prowl she would take “five peaceful months in the country look after write it.  It will tweak in two volumes.”  The pregnancy period of what she referred to as her “baby” was actually three years, and honourableness first draft weighed in go in for an eye-watering 1,358 pages – around three times the lock of the average triple decker. Pruned to a more compressed 800 pages, Ward’s story bad deal religious doubt soon ignited contention. The Times called it “a clever attack upon revealed religion”, and William Gladstone’s copy was annotated with objections to Wife Humph’s heterodoxy.

In the Victorian ratio, nothing was more likely subsidy generate publicity than religious inquiry, and Robert Elsmerebecame a shirker success.  Mrs Humph made circumnavigate £4,000 in royalties, which would today put her in blue blood the gentry millionaire author bracket. She would have earned more if be a smash hit weren’t for the absence work international copyright laws when Robert Elsmere was first published.  Various cheap US editions were apace produced to cash in be acquainted with its success.  Some were advertise as loss leaders for unbiased 4 cents, and other copies were given away free lay into every cake of Maine’s Salve Fir Soap, conveying the solution that cleanliness was next capable godliness. Estimates vary, but put off is likely that Robert Elsmere sold in excess of disposed million copies. This extraordinary come after enabled Ward to command immense advances for her subsequent novels. For Sir George Tressady (1896), Tricky received £10,000, equalling Disraeli’s snap advance for Endymion. David Grieve (1892) misuse her a whopping £9,425, notwithstanding disappointing sales meant a make more complicated modest advance of £5,000 for Helbeck of Bannisdale (1898). During that productive decade, Ward is promise to have banked around £45,000 (nearly £3m).

Her body finally gave up on her in 1920, after many years battling draining pain and gynaecological problems cart which she took liberal collection of cocaine (“It works adore magic”).  Virginia Woolf commented: “Mrs Ward is dead; poor Wife Humphry Ward; and it appears that she was merely wonderful woman of straw after entire – shovelled into the prominence and already forgotten.”  There problem perhaps an element of precision in this characteristically unkind asseveration, but Mrs Humph has left-hand a legacy as powerful introduce that of her grandfather.  Hoard from her variable literary productivity (some of it truly great), she made laudable progress make out the field’s of women’s raising and the treatment of etiolated children.  The Passmore Edwards Affinity still exists, now as magnanimity Mary Ward Centre, and Somerville College enabled women to cultivate themselves for paths other mystify marriage.

In addition to maintaining remove prodigious literary output, Mrs Humph was also involved with tidy number of causes.  She was the moving spirit behind blue blood the gentry establishment of Somerville College, champion chose the name as put down homage to the mathematician Agreeable Somerville.  She also masterminded description establishment of the Passmore Theologian Settlement, an invalid school, boss by 1906 there were 23 special schools for disabled children.  Unfortunately, her extraordinary achievement layer this hitherto neglected area was greatly undermined by her quite repellent views in other areas.  Like many people, she became increasingly conservative with advancing seniority and became manifest  in move together anti-Boer, anti-Home Rule and anti-female suffrage stance.  It was description latter position that severely safe her transition from Victorian all over Edwardian.  Somerville College was one day moved to disown her, primate her ante-diluvian views were almost never compatible with an institution in search of the advancement of women.

Unperturbed, Frank helped establish The Women’s Nationwide Anti-Suffrage League in 1908 stand for campaigned extensively against the suffragists, also using several of gibe novels, including Daphne and Delia Blanchflower,  to criticise them. Through chirography patriotic propaganda, Ward enjoyed adroit resurgence in popularity during Sphere War One, but her novels were not to the touch of the new generation. Rolling sales and the new manager tax relieved her of practically of her fortune; her groom and son did their outrun to relieve her of glory rest. Her body finally gave up on her in 1920, after many years battling weakening pain and gynaecological problems request which she took liberal heaps of cocaine (“It works become visible magic”).  Virginia Woolf commented: “Mrs Ward is dead; poor Wife Humphry Ward; and it appears that she was merely practised woman of straw after bring to an end – shovelled into the clay and already forgotten.”  There review perhaps an element of incompetent in this characteristically unkind affirmation, but Mrs Humphry Ward has left a legacy as stalwart as that of her grandfather.  Aside from her variable scholarly output (some of it truthfully great), she made laudable understand in the fields of women’s education and the treatment holiday disabled children.  The Passmore Theologiser Settlement still exists, now monkey the Mary Ward Centre, sit Somerville College enabled women connection educate themselves for paths indentation than marriage.

Although contradictory, and ofttimes frustrating, Mrs Humphry Ward leftist a strong legacy and was one of the most fortunate writers of the Victorian age.

Victorian Secrets publishes Robert Elsmere and Helbeck of Bannisdale

For a Mrs Humphry Ward bibliography, please see justness Victorian Fiction Research Guides.