ABSTRACT
Barbara Hofland (1770-1844) is a classic example of a woman writing in the early years of the nineteenth century – what Ellen Moers has called the ‘Epic Age of Women’s Literature’ – who turned to a career as a professional writer partly for intellectual satisfaction, but mostly in pursuit of economic security.1 At its best, her work provides genuine insights into family life, work and moral character, and those skills give her a real, if limited, individuality among the numerous writers for children at the beginning of the nineteenth century. This chapter argues that her biography reveals a remarkable series of attempts to re-invent herself as a popular writer as her career developed and her sales fluctuated. Mrs Hofland is the consummate example of an early children’s writer, first finding and then struggling to sustain her popular appeal through a variety of forms and genres.
