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Maria Edgeworth
(1768-1849)

Active: 1795-1834 in Ireland, England, Britain, Europe

By Laura McGrane (Haverford College)

Indexing Data:

  • Active In: Ireland, England, Britain, Europe
  • Born In: England, Britain, Europe
  • Activity: Essayist, Novelist, Woman of Letters, Children’s Writer

Life, Works and Times

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Generally considered one of the most important Anglo-Irish fiction writers of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Maria Edgeworth (1768-1849) was recognized both for the realism of her domestic and political novels and the moral tenor of her pedagogical writings for children. Edgeworth’s literary and educational interests were profoundly shaped by her immediate family, especially a deep intimacy with her father with whom she resided until his death. Following an early education in England, Edgeworth lived most of her life surrounded by a close-knit family on the Edgeworth estate in County Longford, Ireland. Daughter of Richard Lovell Edgeworth (RLE) (1744-1817), a man of letters and a member of the Derbyshire Lunar S

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First published 14 December 2005

Citation: McGrane, Laura. "Maria Edgeworth". The Literary Encyclopedia. 14 December 2005.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1390, accessed 20 November 2009.]