Elinor Glyn

Louise Harrington (Cardiff University)
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If Elinor Glyn is remembered at all today, it is as the woman who coined the term “It” as a 1920s euphemism for sex appeal. The cultural hype surrounding “It” and the subsequent Hollywood film overshadowed the notoriety of Glyn's famous novel

Three Weeks

, a tale of sexual adventure that scandalised Edwardian society. In turn,

Three Weeks

eclipsed Glyn's earlier reputation as novelist of modern manners in the Austen tradition, but it is probably these earliest novels that are her most interesting.

Glyn was born Elinor Sutherland in Jersey on 17th October 1864. Her mother, also called Elinor, was from an Anglo-French family who had emigrated to Canada, while her father, Douglas Sutherland, was of Scottish descent. Mr Sutherland died when Elinor was three months old, and her mother

1556 words

Citation: Harrington, Louise. "Elinor Glyn". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 02 March 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1773, accessed 19 March 2024.]

1773 Elinor Glyn 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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