Edgeworth, Maria 1767-1849

Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth ( Book )
115 editions published between 1787 and 2010 in 6 languages and held by 2,222 libraries worldwide
During the 1790s, with Ireland in political crisis, Maria Edgeworth made a surprisingly rebellious choice: in Castle Rackrent, her first novel, she adopted an Irish Catholic voice to narrate the decline of a family from her own Anglo-Irish class. Castle Rackrent's narrator, Thady Quirk, gives us four generations of Rackrent heirs - Sir Patrick, the dissipated spendthrift; Sir Murtagh, the litigating fiend; Sir Kit, the brutal husband and gambling absentee; and Sir Condy, the lovable and improvident dupe of Thady's own son, Jason. With this satire on Anglo-Irish landlords Edgeworth pioneered the regional novel and inspired Sir Walter Scott's Waverley (1814). She also changed the focus of conflict in Ireland from religion to class and boldly predicted the rise of the Irish Catholic bourgeoisie.

The absentee by Maria Edgeworth ( Book )
73 editions published between 1812 and 2010 in 3 languages and held by 1,253 libraries worldwide
Comic novel of Irish life and the serious consequences of absentee ownership. Lord Colambre visits his family's estates and investigates the background of the woman he loves.

Belinda by Maria Edgeworth ( Book )
95 editions published between 1787 and 2009 in 4 languages and held by 794 libraries worldwide
Maria Edgeworth won the admiration of her contemporaries Jane Austen and Walter Scott as well as later writers such as Thackeray and Turgenev. In Belinda (1801) she tackles issues of gender and race in a manner at once comic and thought-provoking. Braving the perils of the marriage market, Belinda learns to think for herself as the examples of her friends prove singularly unreliable. Edgeworth's varied cast includes the bewitching aristocrat, Lady Delacour, whose dreadful secret puts her in the power of her volatile servant; the dashing Creole gentleman, Mr. Vincent, who almost succeeds in winning Belinda's hand if not her heart; the eccentric Clarence Hervey, whose attempts to create an ideal wife backfire; and the outrageous Harriet Freke, whose antics as social outlaw land her in a mantrap. This lively comedy challenges the conventions of courtship, examines questions of female independence, and exposes the limits of domesticity. The text used in this edition (1802) also confronts the difficult and fascinating issues of racism and mixed marriage, which Edgeworth toned down in later editions.

Castle Rackrent and the absentee by Maria Edgeworth ( Book )
47 editions published between 1894 and 1994 in English and Undetermined and held by 765 libraries worldwide

Tales and novels by Maria Edgeworth ( Book )
105 editions published between 1800 and 1970 in English and Undetermined and held by 604 libraries worldwide

Ormond by Maria Edgeworth ( Book )
62 editions published between 1817 and 2007 in 3 languages and held by 571 libraries worldwide

Helen by Maria Edgeworth ( Book )
84 editions published between 1833 and 2010 in 3 languages and held by 551 libraries worldwide

Letters from England, 1813-1844 by Maria Edgeworth ( Book )
14 editions published between 1971 and 2002 in English and held by 550 libraries worldwide

The life and letters of Maria Edgeworth by Maria Edgeworth ( Book )
35 editions published between 1894 and 2010 in English and Undetermined and held by 544 libraries worldwide

Practical education by Maria Edgeworth ( Book )
62 editions published between 1798 and 2005 in 3 languages and held by 526 libraries worldwide