Charlotte Yonge is one of the most influential and important of Victorian women writers; but study of her work has been handicapped by a tendency to patronise both her and her writing, by the vast number of her publications and by a shortage of information about her professional career. Scholars have had to depend mainly on the work of her first biographer, a loyal disciple, a situation which has long been felt to be unsatisfactory. We hope that this edition of her correspondence will provide for the first time a substantial foundation of facts for the study of her fiction, her historical and educational writing and her journalism, and help to illuminate her biography and also her significance in the cultural and religious history of the Victorian age.
Featured Letters...
My dear Cousin, I have received at length from my father a distinct statement of what you have given to the Melanesian Mission. I had heard rumours before, and the Bishop of Wellington had spoken to me of your intentions, but the fact had not been regularly notified to us.
I think I know you too well to say more than this. May God bless you for what you have lent to Him, and ... continue reading
Dear Sir
I send the quotation with another still more to the purpose- but I should not put in two ds- as certainly Hampshire always calls the plant cli-ders. However no doubt there is authority.
I was sorry to drop the dictionary work but occupations thickened on me so that I could not keep it up
Yours truly C M Yonge
... continue readingMy dear Emma
I know nothing about Miss Butt, I suppose she has not vanished from the face of Creation as she sent me a rather foolish little book the other day called Lads and Lasses, but without any letter or clue to her whereabouts, so I think she had better be simply disregarded till we hear of her again. I cannot recollect what was the Concatenation that introduced her. I am very angry ... continue reading
Dear Mr Macmillan, Will you kindly give me your advice on this letter? It is written to friend of mine at Philadelphia who seeing my 'Clever Woman of the Family' was about to appear in parts in 'the Living Age' wrote to enquire about it. This is Mr Littell’s answer.
I should tell you that Appleton gave me £25 for each of my larger books till the war, when he said he did not get profit enough ... continue reading