Charlotte Smith
Charlotte Smith (1749-1806) was an English novelist and poet known for her contributions to literature during the late 18th century. Born in Sussex, she faced personal hardships early on, including the death of her mother and a tumultuous marriage to Benjamin Smith, which led to significant financial struggles and challenges as a mother. Smith's experiences influenced her writing, which often reflected her own life, particularly regarding themes of nature and personal strife. She gained recognition with her first successful novel, *Emmeline: Or, The Orphan of the Castle* (1788), and went on to publish eleven more novels, alongside children's books and poetry, including the well-received *Elegiac Sonnets*.
Despite achieving popularity and earning a considerable income for her time, Smith frequently expressed concerns about her financial security and the complexities of her late father-in-law's estate. Her work was characterized by its rich emotional depth and vivid Sussex settings, establishing her as a significant figure in the literary landscape of her era. Smith's legacy endures as she is celebrated for both her literary accomplishments and her resilience in the face of adversity.
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Charlotte Smith
Author
- Born: May 4, 1749
- Birthplace: London, England
- Died: October 28, 1806
- Place of death: Tilford, England
Biography
Charlotte Smith was the eldest daughter of Nicholas Turner, a prosperous country gentleman who lived with his wife near Stoke in Sussex. When Charlotte was four years old, her mother died, and her father had her aunt raise her. A precocious child, she was accomplished at art and dancing and was an avid reader. When she was not in school, she spent her time at the Turner home near Stoke, where she acquired the love of nature that later permeated her writing.
Her father, who lived beyond his means, spent his time in London, where Charlotte joined him in 1761. Three years later, he remarried; but his bride, who brought him a twenty-thousand pound dowry, had a temper. Charlotte’s aunt, concerned about Charlotte, thought it prudent to find her fifteen-year-old niece a suitable husband. Charlotte married Benjamin Smith, son of Richard Smith, a rich merchant with estates in the West Indies, the following year.
According to Smith, her troubles began with her marriage, primarily because her husband was not only a spendthrift, but also a bad provider. His parents also were not favorably impressed with her lack of practical knowledge. After her mother- in-law died, her father-in-law did become fond of her and came to depend on her business skills so much that he wanted her to work in his business. Given her privileged background, she could not join the firm. Meanwhile, Smith was having children; her first, when she was just seventeen, died during infancy. During the first fifteen years of her marriage, she was either pregnant or recovering from childbirth. Richard Smith bought a country estate for his son Benjamin, who was no more adept at farming than he had been with other enterprises. Richard sought to protect Charlotte and her children from Benjamin’s extravagance, but his will was a tangle that was not resolved until 1806, the year she died.
After he amassed large debts, Benjamin was imprisoned as a debtor in King’s Bench Prison for seven months in 1783 and 1784. Charlotte, who stayed with him for much of the time, found material for the novels she eventually wrote. To get money, Charlotte published, at her own expense, Elegiac Sonnets, which was very successful. In 1784, Benjamin was released from jail and took his family with him to Normandy. There Charlotte read Abbé Antoine François Prévost’s Manon Lescaut, which she translated and published.
A year later Charlotte got a legal separation from her husband and moved with her children to several places. Her first novel, Emmeline: Or, The Orphan of the Castle (1788), was successful, and she published eleven more novels in the next twelve years. She also wrote three children’s books and The Emigrants, a long blank-verse poem. Although she averaged about four hundred pounds a year, quite a sum in those days, from her novels and other income, she constantly complained about her poverty and the unsettled will. The plots of her novels consist of retellings of her own life, using Sussex settings. She was one of the most popular writers of her time.