The 1862 sensation novel Lady Audley's Secret sold through nine editions within its first year of publication, establishing Mary Elizabeth Braddon as a dominant force in Victorian literature. Born in Soho, London, in 1835, she produced more than eighty novels throughout her career, frequently integrating themes of bigamy into narratives that challenged contemporary social conventions.
Early Career and Acting
Before achieving literary success, Braddon supported herself and her mother through an eight-year career as a professional actor. Between 1852 and 1860, she performed in provincial theatres across England, taking roles in Shakespearean plays, burlesques, and popular melodramas like Black-Eyed Susan. While she found the work profitable, a lack of leading roles and inconsistent performance reviews eventually led her to pivot toward full-time authorship.
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Beyond her output as a novelist, Braddon was an active magazine editor and publisher. In 1866, she founded Belgravia, a periodical that published serialised sensation fiction alongside essays on science, history, and fashion. She also served as an editor for Temple Bar. These roles allowed her to curate the sensation genre, with some scholars suggesting her editorial work was a deliberate effort to empower her position within the Victorian literary marketplace.
The Maxwell Relationship
Braddon began living with publisher John Maxwell in 1861, although he was already married to Mary Ann Crowley. Their domestic arrangement caused public scandal when an attempt to claim a legal marriage was exposed as false by Crowley’s brother-in-law in 1864. The couple remained together, raising five children from Maxwell's first marriage and six of their own, finally marrying at St. Bride's Church in 1874 following Crowley's death.
Literary Themes and Genre
Braddon's novels often followed a distinct formula featuring mysterious heroines, country-house settings, and central plots involving bigamy. While most famous for her sensation novels, she also ventured into supernatural fiction and historical narratives. Her ghost stories, including The Cold Embrace and Eveline's Visitant, gained recognition in the 1930s when they were featured in anthologies such as The Supernatural Omnibus.
Fast facts
- Born: 4 October 1835, Soho, London
- Died: 4 February 1915, Richmond
- Primary genre: Sensation fiction
- Major work: Lady Audley's Secret (1862)
- Founded magazine: Belgravia (1866)
- Total children: 11 (including five stepchildren)
- Burial site: Richmond Cemetery
- Literary association established: 2014
Questions readers ask
What is a bigamy novel?
A term used to describe Braddon's works like Lady Audley's Secret and Aurora Floyd, which centre on women trapped in illegal or double marriages.
Did Braddon write only sensation fiction?
No, she wrote across multiple genres, including historical fiction and supernatural ghost stories such as At Chrighton Abbey.
