Biographical Information about Mary Meeke, with particular relevance to Independence

Mary Meeke (?-1816)

The life history of the British novelist, Mary Meeke, is a mystery in some respect. Her date and place of birth are unknown. Though she is known to have died in 1816 in Staffordshire, England. Her husband is believed to have been the Reverend Francis Meeke. The couple resided at Johnson Hall at Staffordshire. Francis died in 1801.

As she was an avid reader, Mary had great literary knowledge. Gothic fiction was her favorite genre to read. Regarding gothic fiction, she called it "a very innocent, if not a very profitable recreation." She wrote novels for twenty years from 1795-1815. She is responsible for 34 published pieces. Four of her works are under the name of Gabrielli, her pseudonym. In the early 19th century, Meeke's novels were popular and her writing was well-known. One of the most important Gothic pioneers, Anne Radcliffe, had an enormous influence on her. Mary's publisher was the Minerva Press. This press was the publisher most responsible for encouraging the Gothic novel. Many of Meeke's novels are of the Gothic genre.

Her first novel was Count St. Blancard or The Prejudiced Judge in 1795. Another of her novels published later this same year was The Abbot of Clugny. Other works of Meeke include What Shall Be, Shall Be (1801), Independence (1802), Midnight Weddings (1802), Ellen, Heiress of the Castle (1807), There's a Secret: Find it Out (1808), and Conscience (1814). She is known for her enticing titles. Three examples are Which is the Man? (1801), Amazement! (1804), and Matrimony the Height of Bliss or Extreme of Misery (1811). One can notice that many works were published posthumously. The final of her published works, a children's story book, came out in 1825, ten years after her death. Other less known works of Meeke are The Mysterious Wife (1797), Ellesmere (1799), Anecdotes of the Altamont Family (1800), Mysterious Husband (1801), A Tale of Mystery; or, Celina (1803), The Nine Days' Wonder (1804), The Old Wife and Young Husband (1804), Something Odd! (1804), The Wonder of the Village (1805), Something Strange (1806), Julien; or, My Father's House (1807), The Monks and the Robbers: A Tale of the Fifteenth Century (1808 -- probably not by Meek, see "Anonymous - Unattributed"), Laughton Priory (1809), Stratagems Defeated (1811), and The Spanish Campaign; or, The Jew (1815). She also translated many works from French and German to English. By examining these titles with words hinting at the unknown and mysterious, the author's love for the Gothic novel is visible. The titles are a good ploy because they make one want to buy the various volumes of a novel to see what the "mystery" is.

Meeke often begins her novels in working class settings such as factories. Characters of nobility normally do not come onto the scene until a little distance into the novel. There are numerous school situations throughout her novels. She enjoyed writing on the topics of European politics, other issues of British society, and poetic justice. The turning points of Meeke's novels usually occur when a young hero discovers his identity. The identity of the hero is always socially resplendent. The virtuous heroes of her novels often suffer through hard times and are later rewarded with a sum of money for the suffering they have endured. In addition, inheritance conflicts are rampant in her works. This is not unusual for literature of the Romantic period. Meeke is known as a sentimental writer as well. For example, the characters often have overestimated sensibilities.

Meeke often advised her fellow novelists to contact their publishers before starting to compose a novel in order to see what types of novels are currently popular and selling well. She emphasized the importance of writing about societal issues that may be controversial but that people are interested in reading about. Mary was often attacked by critics for having a below average literary style. She was seen as a writer lacking variety in her writing. Though as long as the public is feeding off of a certain type of novel, one cannot blame her for continuing to write what she knew would sell. Themes were the same in the majority of the novels and characters often were spitting images of ones in other pieces. For example, usually the main character believes he is of a low social rank and in some ways discovers he is in fact an elite nobleman.

-Prepared by Stephen P. Sizemore, University of Nebraska, December 2002