Biography and the trade-Gothic author : the case of Isabella Kelly / Yael Shapira.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Shapira, Yael, author.

Series:

Cambridge elements. Elements in the Gothic, 2634-8721.

Cambridge elements. Elements in the Gothic, 2634-8721

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Kelly, Isabella--Criticism and interpretation.

Kelly, Isabella.

Gothic fiction (Literary genre), English--Scotland--History and criticism.

Gothic fiction (Literary genre), English.

Biography in literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (71 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2025.

Summary:

This Element argues for the value of biography in studying trade Gothic - that is, Gothic novels published by unprestigious trade publishers during the Romantic period. As Section 1 argues, biography has been central to the study of canonical Gothic and, indeed, to the very formation of the Gothic canon, whereas the biographical obscurity of trade novelists has reinforced the marginalization of their works. The following sections draw on the case of Isabella Kelly (c. 1759-1857) to show how biographical knowledge can provide insight into seemingly formulaic Gothic novels. Section 2 uses new archival findings to offer an updated biography of Kelly, while Section 3 traces covert pieces of life writing embedded in her fiction. Section 4 focuses on Kelly's acquaintance with Matthew Lewis, drawing on her fiction to offer a speculative reassessment of their relationship and to question assumptions about the flow of influence in the Gothic literary marketplace.

Contents:

Cover

Title page

Imprints page

Biography and the Trade-Gothic Author: The Case of Isabella Kelly

Contents

1 Gothic Fiction, Biography, and the Canon/Trade Divide

1.1 Biography and Canonical Gothic

1.2 Canonical Authorship and the Author-Text Cycle

1.3 Canonization and the Ongoing Project of Biography

1.4 Trade Gothic and Authorship

1.5 Trade Gothic and Authorial Lives

2 Isabella Kelly's Cover Stories

2.1 'With drooping wings and languid eyes'

2.2 'My Robert'

2.3 'the helplessness of genteel life'

3 Telling Truth in Fiction: Madeline (1794)

3.1 Elopement and the 'White Gothic'

3.2 Men of Feeling

3.3 A Tale of Two Madelines

4 Kelly and Lewis: The Prequel

4.1 Kelly before Lewis (1795): Theatrical Hauntings

4.2 Kelly after Lewis (1799-1800): Repurposed Female Ghosts

4.3 Coda: Kelly, Lewis and the Question of Influence

References

Acknowledgements.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 17 Oct 2025).

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-009-43523-X

1-009-43520-5

1-009-43521-3

OCLC:

1574123274