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Mann, Mary E., -1929

We have 1 book for this author.

Mary E Mann, nee Rackham, (1848-1929) was born in Norwich, Norfolk. After her marriage to a farmer, Fairman J Mann, she moved to Shropham village. Her husband was a churchwarden and parish guardian; she also became involved with the Union Workhouse, and visited the sick and other unfortunates of the parish. Her observations and experiences informed her stories of Norfolk rural workers during late 19th century agricultural and economic upheaval. Her grave is in Shropham churchyard.

Works

Shropham was renamed 'Dulditch' in her novels, reflecting her view of the village as isolated and bleak. Formerly regarded as a novelist belonging to the ‘earthy’ rural genre, her short stories in Tales of Victorian Norfolk are grim but authentic accounts of poverty and deprivation. Often described by some as Norfolk's Thomas Hardy, Mann was admired by D H Lawrence. Her work has recently been rediscovered as a major contributor to East Anglian literature, championed by A S Byatt among others.

Novels include Mrs Day's Daughters, and The Patten Experiment (1899) where a group of well-meaning middle class folk try to live on a labourer's wage for a week.

Some of her novels are still in print.