Mary Robinson, The Natural Daughter

Carrie-Ann Prefontaine (University of Saskatchewan)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1799

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

The Natural Daughter, with Portraits of the Leadenhead Family, published in 1799 by Longman and Rees, is Mary Robinson’s seventh and final novel. Set against the backdrop of the Reign of Terror in France, the novel explores many revolutionary themes such as the equality of women in marriage, women’s employment, and the rights of illegitimate children. Like Robinson’s other novels, The Natural Daughter engages in an extended critique of the aristocracy. The heroine is Martha (Bradford) Morley, who, thrown out of her home by a hypocritical and cruel husband for remaining steadfast to her principles, seeks to support herself in various ways and thus rehabilitate her status as a “fallen woman.”

Martha …

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1124 words

Citation: Prefontaine, Carrie-Ann. "The Natural Daughter". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 November 2007 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=59, accessed 18 June 2025.]

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