Rhoda Broughton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rhoda Broughton
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Rhoda Broughton c. 1870
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| Born | 29 November 1840 Denbigh, North Wales
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| Died | 5 June 1920 (aged 79) Headington Hill, Oxfordshire
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| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Author |
| Years active | 1867–1920 |
Rhoda Broughton (born November 29, 1840 – died June 5, 1920) was a Welsh writer. She wrote many novels and short stories. Her first novels were quite exciting and got a lot of attention. Because of this, some of her later, stronger books were not always noticed by critics. Still, she was very popular in libraries where people borrowed books. She was related to the Broughton family of baronets. Her uncle, Sheridan le Fanu, who was also a famous writer, helped her begin her writing career. She was a long-time friend of fellow writer Henry James. She also had interesting relationships with Lewis Carroll and Oscar Wilde.
Contents
Early Life and Inspiration
Rhoda Broughton was born in Denbigh, North Wales, on November 29, 1840. Her father was Rev. Delves Broughton. Her mother was Jane Bennett. Her aunt, Susanna Bennett, married the well-known writer Sheridan le Fanu.
From a young age, Rhoda loved reading, especially poetry. She was greatly influenced by William Shakespeare. You can see this in the many quotes and references in her books. After reading The Story of Elizabeth by Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie, she decided to try writing herself. She wrote her first novel in just six weeks!
Starting Her Writing Career
Rhoda visited her uncle, Sheridan le Fanu, with parts of her first novel. He was a successful author and was very impressed. He helped her get her work published. Her first two novels appeared in 1867 in his magazine, Dublin University Magazine.
Le Fanu also introduced her to a publisher named Richard Bentley. Bentley first said no to her first novel. He thought it was not proper. However, he accepted her second novel. Later, Bentley even published the novel he had first rejected. Rhoda Broughton also helped other writers. She introduced Mary Cholmondeley to her publishers around 1887. Broughton's writing style, especially her dialogue, influenced other authors like Mary Cecil Hay.
Writing Style and Popularity
Rhoda Broughton worked with Richard Bentley for many years. She published 14 novels with him over 30 years. Many of these were in a popular style called the "three-volume novel." She found this style difficult to write. After her book Alas! did not sell well, she decided to write shorter, one-volume novels. These shorter books became some of her best works.
Even with her later, stronger books, some critics still thought of her as a writer of light, exciting stories. This was because of her early reputation for creating characters who broke social rules. Her popularity started to decline after the Bentley publishing house was taken over by Macmillan Publishers in the late 1890s. She published six more novels with Macmillan. In 1906, The New York Times wondered why such a good writer was not more appreciated.
After 1910, she moved to a new publisher, Stanley, Paul & Co. They published three more of her novels. Her last book, A Fool in Her Folly (1920), was published after she died. It had an introduction by her long-time friend, Marie Belloc Lowndes. This book might have been written earlier but kept private for a while. It talks about a young writer's experiences, much like Rhoda's own.
Rhoda Broughton spent her final years in Headington Hill, near Oxford. She passed away there on June 5, 1920, at the age of 79. A blue plaque was placed on her home in 2020 to honor her.
Themes in Her Works
The writer Somerset Maugham once shared a story about Rhoda Broughton. He said she told him that when she was young, people called her books "fast." When she was old, they called them "slow." She found this funny because she had written the same kind of books for 40 years!
Rhoda Broughton never married. Some people think that a past disappointment in love led her to write. She spent much of her life with her sister, Eleanor Newcome, until Eleanor's death in 1895. Like famous female novelists such as Jane Austen, Rhoda Broughton is known for her high-quality writing. Richard C. Tobias called her "the leading woman novelist in England" between the time George Eliot died and Virginia Woolf began her career.
Exploring Relationships and Society
- The Game and the Candle (1899) is a story about a woman who married for practical reasons. She then gets a chance to be with her true love. But she realizes that her true love might not be what she thought. This novel shows a wise woman who has seen a lot of the world.
- In A Beginner (1894), Broughton writes about a young author whose secret book is criticized by people right in front of her.
- Scylla or Charybdis? (1895) features a mother who hides her past from her son. She is very protective of his love. This book questions how social rules can hurt quiet people who might have made mistakes in the past.
- Foes in Law (1900) also looks at social rules. It asks what kind of life leads to the most happiness: a traditional one or one that fits a person's own needs.
- Her novel Dear Faustina (1897) features a character who is drawn to a strong, independent woman. This character, Faustina, seems to care about fighting social problems. The book also subtly questions common ideas about what it means to be a man.
A key part of all her novels is how they look at women's roles in society. Broughton often created strong female characters. Through them, she challenged traditional ideas about what women should be like. This is especially clear in A Waif's Progress (1905). In this book, she creates a married couple who turn traditional roles upside down.
Ghost Stories and Legacy
Broughton's collection Tales for Christmas Eve (1873), also known as Twilight Stories, included five ghost stories. Robert S. Hadji said her short ghost stories were not as scary as her uncle's, but they were very well written. He also called her story "Nothing But the Truth" (1868) "one of her cleverest stories."
During her lifetime, Rhoda Broughton was one of the most popular authors in circulating libraries. She was so famous that some people even made fun of her in their own writings. It is not known how she reacted to this. She was known for standing up to people like Oscar Wilde and Lewis Carroll, who did not like her much. Lewis Carroll once refused an invitation because Broughton would be there. Oscar Wilde found her to be a match for his witty comments. She was not always popular in Oxford society because she made fun of them in her novel Belinda (1883). However, she had many friends in literary circles. Her closest friend was Henry James, and they remained friends until his death in 1916.
Cultural Allusion
"Black Sheep retreated to the nursery and read Cometh up as a Flower with deep and uncomprehending interest. He had been forbidden to open it on account of its 'sinfulness'..." This quote is from Rudyard Kipling's short story, Baa Baa Black Sheep, published in 1888.
