Charlotte M. Yonge

A Chaplet of Pearls Charlotte M. Yonge

Charlotte Mary Yonge (1823-1901), was an English novelist, known for her huge output, mostly now out of print. She was born in Otterbourne, Hampshire, into a religious family background, was devoted to the Church of England, and much influenced by John Keble, a near neighbour and one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement. Yonge is herself sometimes referred to as ""the novelist of the Oxford Movement,"" as her novels frequently reflect the values and concerns of Anglo-Catholicism. She began writing in 1848 and published about 100 works, chiefly novels. Her first commercial success, The Heir of Redclyffe (1854), provided the funding to enable the schooner Southern Cross to be put into service on behalf of George Selwyn. Similar charitable works were done with the profits from later novels. Other well known works are Heartsease and The Daisy Chain. During her ,lifetime she was admired and respected by such notable literary figures as Alfred Tennyson and Henry James, and strongly influenced the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, especially William Morris and D. G. Rossetti.