The Inheritance of Genius, (Thackeray Vol 1)

A Thackeray Family Biography 1798-1875

by John Aplin

Book cover: The Inheritance of Genius, (Thackeray Vol 1)

Extent: 332 pages

Publisher: The Lutterworth Press

Subject: Literary Studies

Language: English

Paperback (No longer our product)

(July 2010)

ISBN: 9780718892241

6.1 x 9.17 inches

Price: $50.00

In stock

PDF (No longer our product)

(July 2010)

ISBN: 9780718842109

Price: $36.00

This book, the first of two volumes anticipating the bicentenary of the birth of William Makepeace Thackeray in 1811, details not only the author’s life, but also the cosmopolitan and literary worlds inhabited by his two daughters, Minny and Annie. When Thackeray died in 1863, the two sisters were forced to find their own way forward. Minny would marry Leslie Stephen, later father of Virginia Woolf, and die at only thirty-five; Annie, encouraged in early years by her father, would herself emerge as a successful novelist, though one always living, albeit willingly, within her father’s shadow. Drawing continuously on the letters, diaries, journals and notebooks of the Thackerays and their circle, Aplin sheds light on this remarkable man’s family, and the effect that his life, death and legacy had on those closest to him. The book will appeal not just to those interested in Thackeray and the Victorians, but also to readers of biography, womenis studies and memoirs, and to followers of Viriginia Woolf and Bloomsbury.

  • By (author) John Aplin

'He thoroughly grasped the complicated intermarriages of the Ritchies and their friends, and he is strong on allusions to the Bible and to hymns.' Charlotte Mitchell for the 'Times Literary Supplement',13th July 2011There can be no doubt that both collections by Aplin will enhance scholar's understanding of Thackeray but their greatest contribution will be to researchers of Anne Thackeray Ritchie's life.Clare Horrocks: Journal of Victorian Culture, Vol. 17 (2), 2012."John Aplin has succeeded in resituating Thackeray the public author within a domestic, private history of daughters, cousins and generations. [...] Aplin writes well, balancing a sense of drama with a judicious use of evidence to make this family history compelling and readable."Judith L. Fisher, Trinity University 14th July 2013John Aplin's incredibly detailed two-volume biography of the Thackeray family is another profoundly excellent addition to Thackeray studies.Years Work in English Studies, Vol. 92, No. 1, 2013John Aplin has succeeded in resituating Thackeray the public author within a domestic, private history of daughters, cousins and generations. [...] Aplin writes well, balancing a sense of drama with a judicious use of evidence to make this family history compelling and readable. Judith L. Fisher, English Studies, Vol. 94, No.5, August 2013
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