Sunday, February 12, 2012
Published anonymously
When I read the timeline of Ann Radcliffe's life, I was a little confused to see that her first two works and the first volume of The Romance of the Forest were published anonymously. It seems from the other women writers of the time that we talked about in class, that it was acceptable for women to write and get paid for it, even though they couldn't have bank accounts. The timeline even mentioned that her husband encouraged her to write. I was also confused that she published the second two volumes under her own name. Would it have been because the first one got great reviews so she felt comfortable enough to? For the most part, it seems that she was very well received and influential, so I don't really understand her need for publishing anonymously, when someone like Smith with very blatant politics in her novel published under her own name.
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When Austen published Sense and Sensibility she used the name "A Lady." The employment of a pseudonym allowed Austen to publish materials that challenged the cultural name and maintain her place in society. Even in the reviews, critics were divided about reception of the text. I believe that Sense and Sensibility asked women to examine their role in society and speak against societal norms in order to act upon their misfortunes. She used the name “A Lady” to announce to the public her gender, but she remained anonymous to distance herself from her text. I believe that Charlotte Smith used her name in order to ensure she received credit and payments for her works. Keeping these two models in mind, I think it was very wise of Radcliffe to publish anonymously. By publishing the first volume anonymously, she was able insert progressive themes and events in the text. At the time of publication, the novel form was still in infancy. Critics questioned the credibility of the form and some argued that novels planted dangerous ideas in the minds of their women readers. Therefore, Radcliffe’s romantic and gothic elements may not have been well received, so she initially published anonymously to protect her place in society.
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