| The Shadow of Ashlydyat by Mrs. Henry Wood, Fiction, Literary, Romance, Horror Contributor(s): Wood, Mrs Henry (Author) |
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ISBN: 1592245544 ISBN-13: 9781592245543 Publisher: Wildside Press OUR PRICE: $44.96 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: August 2003 * Not available - Not in print at this time * |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Horror - General |
| Dewey: FIC |
| Physical Information: 1.5" H x 6" W x 9" (2.33 lbs) 620 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 19th Century - Cultural Region - British Isles |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: THE SHADOW OF ASHLYDYAT is, unusually for Mrs. Henry Wood, touched with a tinge of Gothic, in the form of the curse on the house of Godolphin and the ominous shadow that sometimes appears on the Dark Plain. In another sense, however, such fare is typical of Wood's belief in destiny: one slip, one instance of trifling with the rules of fate or morality, will bring doom upon the miscreant's head. Mr. George Godolphin gets wet and sits in his shirtsleeves, and brings on infirmity that has him on crutches for months. He ought to have known, then, that more serious lapses in judgment would bring on his ruin. The reader does know, and part of the fascination of the book is the satisfying horror of watching it all happen. Anything to do with the body, of course, is entirely taboo, which makes it all the more remarkable that scandals of the body are at the center of the book. Even Maria's pregnancies, as far from scandal as the book comes, are couched in such veiled terms that a modern reader has to be alert to catch them. When, for instance, Mrs. Verrall notes that Maria has lost the roses in her cheeks, Maria's incomplete reply gives away the secret. |
Contributor Bio(s): Wood, Mrs Henry: - "Ellen Wood (1814 - 1887), was an English novelist, better known as Mrs. Henry Wood. She is remembered most for her 1861 novel East Lynne, but many of her books became international bestsellers and widely known in the United States. She surpassed the fame of Charles Dickens in Australia. In 1836 she married Henry Wood, who worked in the banking and shipping trade in Dauphiné in the South of France, where they lived for 20 years. On the failure of Wood's business, the family (including four children) returned to England and settled in Upper Norwood near London, where Ellen Wood turned to writing. This supported the family after Henry Wood died in 1866. She wrote over 30 novels, many of which (especially East Lynne) enjoyed remarkable popularity. Among the best known are Danesbury House, Oswald Cray, Mrs. Halliburton's Troubles, The Channings, Lord Oakburn's Daughters and The Shadow of Ashlydyat. Her writing tone would be described as "conservative and Christian," occasionally expressing religious rhetoric. In 1867, Wood purchased the English magazine Argosy, which had been founded by Alexander Strahan in 1865. Wood continued as its editor until her death in 1887, when her son Charles Wood took over. Wood's works were translated into many languages, including French and Russian. Leo Tolstoy, in a March 1872 letter to his older brother Sergei, noted that he was "reading Mrs. Wood's wonderful novel In the Maze." Wood wrote several works of supernatural fiction, including "The Ghost" (1862) and the often anthologized "Reality or Delusion?" (1868)." |