Clifton's "curse" is his stepmother-one of Southworth's more malignant villains, who in her most furious soliloquies echoes the most evil moments of Lady Macbeth.
Clifton, heir to an ancestral fortune, loves a humble mountain girl. Southworth her publishers insisted however that the only genuine novels were those signed with the famous initials E.D.E.N.Ī typical theme in Southworth's novels is the "rags and riches" romance, exemplified in The Curse of Clifton (1853).
Others tried to capitalize on Southworth's popularity by writing under names such as S. Ishmael (1876) and Self-Raised (1876) sold over two million copies each. In book form it sold almost two million copies it was also transformed into several dramatic versions, one of which starred John Wilkes Booth. The Hidden Hand (1888), first published serially in the New York Ledger, is said to have been the most popular work that paper ever printed. Southworth produced about three novels per year throughout most of the rest of her life and even at that rate could hardly satisfy the demands of her readers, so popular were her works. Many of her works were reprinted in other countries and translated into several languages. When the serial had reached a certain length, the book publisher would bring out as one volume the work written so far and later publish the rest as a sequel. It is reported Southworth never knew how long her serials would be she would continue on week after week, with characters presumed dead sometimes reappearing. Her first novel, Retribution (1849), was serialized in 1847 in the columns of the Washington National Era, which published most of her early stories. This was followed by other short stories. Southworth's first publication was a short story, "The Irish Refugee," which appeared in the Baltimore Saturday Visitor. Despite ill health, which plagued her for many years, she returned to teaching in Washington and began to write. Deserted by her husband within a few years of their marriage, Southworth was left with two young children to support.
Southworth taught school in Washington after her graduation. Southworth and her sister were educated in Washington, D.C., at the school run by her stepfather, Joshua Henshaw, whom her mother had married after the death of Captain Nevitte. and Susanna Wailes Nevitte married Frederick H. died 30 June 1899, Washington, D.C.ĭaughter of Charles L. SOUTHWORTH, E(mma) D(orothy) E(liza) N(evitte)īorn 26 December 1819, Washington, D.C.
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