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timallan

Anne Hereford, or the novels of Mrs. Henry Wood

timallan
13 years ago

Yesterday I finished Anne Hereford (published 1868), a novel by the prolific Mrs. Henry Wood. The book itself (a surprisingly sturdy 1896 reprint) was unearthed by myself in a box of soon-to-be-discarded items in a local junk shop.

Some of us have read Mrs. Wood's famous novel, East Lynne, which is one of my favourite Victorian novels. Upon her husband's death, Ellen Wood was left a young widow with three young children. She had previously published short pieces in literary magazines, but was forced to write her way out of financial ruin. Her books were wildly popular during her lifetime, and at her death she had earned more from her writing than many of her now more famous contemporaries.

Anne Hereford is heavily influenced by Jane Eyre, in that both deal with penniless orphans forced to become governesses. Obviously the Bronte novel is the more brilliant, but there is still much to enjoy in Wood's novel. She adroitly employs the stock characters of Victorian fiction: sinister guardians, huffy housekeepers, and ladies of fashion behaving appallingly. Her view of human nature is surprisingly unsentimental, though her characters are usually multidimensional and well-rounded.

The book abounds with the plot devices of the Victorian melodrama: missing wills, purloined letters, country houses with sinister locked rooms, and of course, romantic

misunderstandings. The story unravels at a breathless pace, and is very entertaining. Fans of the Gothic novel should definitely look out for this book. Though the moralizing which is typical of the period, Mrs. Wood relies only rarely on religious platitudes.

Has anyone else read this book? Probably not. I hope I can interest at least one RPer into giving it a try.

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