Mary Ann Kelty
| Mary Ann Kelty | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1789 Cambridge |
| Died |
8 January 1873 Peckham |
| Nationality | British |
Mary Ann Kelty (1789 – 8 January 1873) was a British religious writer. She is said to have written the first religious novel.
Life
Kelty was born in Cambridge in 1789. Her father was a surgeon who rapidly became estranged from his wife. As a result, Kelty received her education from friends of her brother who was a senior fellow of Cambridge University.[1]
Kelty's first novels were published in America, Britain and Europe in the 1820s.[2] Kelty's parent's died in 1822 which was the same year as The Favourite of Nature, a tale was published. This was said to be the first religious novel.[3]
Kelty became more religious and she was intrigued by the ideas of the evangelist Charles Simeon; and towards the end of her life by the Quakers. She left her home city behind and moved to her final address of Peckham in 1832.[1]
Kelty included the Cambridge historian Professor William Smyth in her memoir Reminiscences of Thought and Feeling as "the professor".[4]
Kelty died in Peckham in 1873.
Works include
- The Favourite of Nature, a tale, 1822
- Osmond: A Tale
- Trials: A Tale
- The Story of Isabel
- Alice Rivers
- Reminiscences of Thought and Feeling
- The Solace of a Solitaire: A Record of Facts and Feelings, 1869
References
- 1 2 Paul Baines, ‘Kelty, Mary Ann (1789–1873)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 6 Dec 2014
- ↑ Mary Ann Kelty, Orlando project, Cambridge University, retrieved 6 December 2014
- ↑ Martineau, Harriett (2006). Autobiography. Broadview Press. p. 322. ISBN 1770480749.
- ↑ William Smyth, Wikisource.org