Critical Receptions: Sydney Owenson, Lady Morgan

This volume of the Irish Critical Receptions Series traces the development of the literary reputation of Sydney Owenson (Lady Morgan) and the contemporary reception history of her writings. One of the most widely reviewed and commercially successful authors of her time, until recently Owenson’s literary reputation was largely eclipsed by her contemporaries Maria Edgeworth and Walter Scott. It has only been in the later decades of the twentieth century that scholars have begun to re-examine Owenson as a pivotal figure in post-Union Irish literature and culture. In this work, Owenson is situated firmly in the context of her role in the development of the Irish ‘national tale’ and in terms of her often overlooked contribution to the genre of the Romantic-era novel. The critical material included in this volume will provide scholars with a more complete historical context in which to understand how Owenson’s career and personal life served as touchstones for cultural debates surrounding gender, nationality, and authorship. Her career in Italy as a travel writer and commentator is also discussed at length.