Mary E. Mann
Encyclopedia
Mary E. Mann, née Rackham, (August 14, 1848-May 19, 1929) was an English writer of novels and short stories, primarily on themes of poverty and rural English life.
, Norfolk
. After her marriage to a farmer, Fairman J. Mann, she moved to Shropham
village
. Her husband was a churchwarden
and parish guardian; she also became involved with the Union Workhouse, and visited the sick and other unfortunates of the parish, her observations and experiences informing her stories.
She took up writing in the 1880s with the guidance of an in-law relative, Thomas Fairman Ordish. Her first novel, The Parish of Hilby (1883) began a career lasting some 35 years during which she produced 40 works that focused on the experiences of Norfolk yeoman farmers during the late 19th century agricultural and economic upheaval.
After her husband's death in 1913, she moved to Sheringham
, where she died aged 70. Her grave is in Shropham churchyard.
's Thomas Hardy
, Mann was admired by D. H. Lawrence
.
Novels include Mrs Day's Daughters, and The Patten Experiment (1899) where a group of well-meaning middle class folk try to live on a labourer's wage for a week.
Her work has recently been rediscovered as a major contributor to East Anglia
n literature
, championed among others by A. S. Byatt
, who in 1998 included her story Little Brother in The Oxford Book of English Short Stories.
The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography considers her best work to be not her novels but short fiction written in the 1890s such as Ben Pitcher's Elly, Dora o' the Ringolets and The Lost Housen, arguing them to be the equal of Hardy's but based on a matter-of-fact mood rather than Hardy's "vengeful determinism"
Some of her novels are still in print.
In 2005 theatre company Eastern Angles used a collection of her characters and stories to create a new play A Dulditch Angel. It was directed by Orla O'Loughlin and written by Steven Canny
.
Life
Mary Rackham was born in NorwichNorwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. After her marriage to a farmer, Fairman J. Mann, she moved to Shropham
Shropham
Shropham is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 351 in 155 households as of the 2001 census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland....
village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
. Her husband was a churchwarden
Churchwarden
A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish church or congregation of the Anglican Communion, usually working as a part-time volunteer. Holders of these positions are ex officio members of the parish board, usually called a vestry, parish council, parochial church council, or in the case of a...
and parish guardian; she also became involved with the Union Workhouse, and visited the sick and other unfortunates of the parish, her observations and experiences informing her stories.
She took up writing in the 1880s with the guidance of an in-law relative, Thomas Fairman Ordish. Her first novel, The Parish of Hilby (1883) began a career lasting some 35 years during which she produced 40 works that focused on the experiences of Norfolk yeoman farmers during the late 19th century agricultural and economic upheaval.
After her husband's death in 1913, she moved to Sheringham
Sheringham
Sheringham is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, west of Cromer.The motto of the town, granted in 1953 to the Sheringham Urban District Council, is Mare Ditat Pinusque Decorat, Latin for "The sea enriches and the pine adorns"....
, where she died aged 70. Her grave is in Shropham churchyard.
Works
Shropham was renamed 'Dulditch' in her novels, reflecting her view of the village as isolated and bleak. Formerly regarded as a novelist belonging to the ‘earthy’ rural genre, her short stories in Tales of Victorian Norfolk are grim but authentic accounts of poverty and deprivation. Often described by some as NorfolkNorfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
's Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet. While his works typically belong to the Naturalism movement, several poems display elements of the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural.While he regarded himself primarily as a...
, Mann was admired by D. H. Lawrence
D. H. Lawrence
David Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter who published as D. H. Lawrence. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation...
.
Novels include Mrs Day's Daughters, and The Patten Experiment (1899) where a group of well-meaning middle class folk try to live on a labourer's wage for a week.
Her work has recently been rediscovered as a major contributor to East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
n literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, championed among others by A. S. Byatt
A. S. Byatt
Dame Antonia Susan Duffy, DBE is an English novelist, poet and Booker Prize winner...
, who in 1998 included her story Little Brother in The Oxford Book of English Short Stories.
The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography considers her best work to be not her novels but short fiction written in the 1890s such as Ben Pitcher's Elly, Dora o' the Ringolets and The Lost Housen, arguing them to be the equal of Hardy's but based on a matter-of-fact mood rather than Hardy's "vengeful determinism"
Some of her novels are still in print.
In 2005 theatre company Eastern Angles used a collection of her characters and stories to create a new play A Dulditch Angel. It was directed by Orla O'Loughlin and written by Steven Canny
Steven Canny
Steven Canny is a BBC Executive Producer in Radio Comedy and a writer of plays for the stage.Canny began his career as a theatre director and writer...
.
External links
- Simple tales of country folk, DJ Taylor, The Independent, 7 October 2000
- Sinister tales of the countryside, Eastern Daily Press, May 18, 2001