Writer. Reeve received an education from her clergyman father, William Reeve, who taught her advanced reading at a young age. After her father's death in 1755, Reeve began writing poetry published in 1769. Her first full-length work was a translation from Latin of the historical allegory Argenis by John Barclay, which she entitled "The Phoenix" (1772). Although she considered this to be her best work, she was saddened by the negative reception of her work. Nevertheless, she was inspired by Horace Walpole's "The Castle of Otranto" (1764) to write her own famous Gothic novel "The Old English Baron" (1778), first published as "The Champion of Virtue" (1777). Its popularity was such that it was reprinted thirteen times over the decade following its initial publication. She acknowledged Walpole's influence in the preface, and her novel influenced Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" (1818). The novel's first edition was dedicated to Samuel Richardson's daughter, who helped her revise and correct it. Her novel, "The Progress of Romance" (1785), critically examines the history of romance and fiction. She later wrote an epistolary novel, "The School for Widows" (1791) and "Plans of Education" (1792), which focused on the issues of female education. Her final novel, "Edwin, King of Northumberland: A Story of the Seventh Century" was published in 1802. Clara Reeve died in Ipswich, the town of her birth, in 1807.
Writer. Reeve received an education from her clergyman father, William Reeve, who taught her advanced reading at a young age. After her father's death in 1755, Reeve began writing poetry published in 1769. Her first full-length work was a translation from Latin of the historical allegory Argenis by John Barclay, which she entitled "The Phoenix" (1772). Although she considered this to be her best work, she was saddened by the negative reception of her work. Nevertheless, she was inspired by Horace Walpole's "The Castle of Otranto" (1764) to write her own famous Gothic novel "The Old English Baron" (1778), first published as "The Champion of Virtue" (1777). Its popularity was such that it was reprinted thirteen times over the decade following its initial publication. She acknowledged Walpole's influence in the preface, and her novel influenced Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" (1818). The novel's first edition was dedicated to Samuel Richardson's daughter, who helped her revise and correct it. Her novel, "The Progress of Romance" (1785), critically examines the history of romance and fiction. She later wrote an epistolary novel, "The School for Widows" (1791) and "Plans of Education" (1792), which focused on the issues of female education. Her final novel, "Edwin, King of Northumberland: A Story of the Seventh Century" was published in 1802. Clara Reeve died in Ipswich, the town of her birth, in 1807.
Bio by: Mark McManus
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