Sin and Sensation
By the 1860s, publishing opportunities for women were expanding as never before. Much of this expansion arose from the growing dominance of the novel. In 1825, only around 25 new novels were published in Great Britain; by 1850, the total was about 100; by 1864, it was more than 300; and in 1874, 644 new novels appeared.
Thanks to new developments in publishing–such as publication in parts, cheap one-volume reprints, and subscription circulating libraries–a successful novelist might now command a huge audience. And since novels lacked the high-cultural status that would have made entrée into the field difficult for them, an increasing number of women were encouraged to try their hands at writing a best seller.
Sensation fiction, a loose sub-genre of the British novel, flourished from the 1860s onwards. With plots featuring scandalous topics such as divorce, bigamy, rape, illegitimacy, crime and insanity, the genre frequently took its inspiration from the headlines of tabloid journalism. The sensation genre alarmed British authorities, especially clergy, who preached against it as "one of the abominations of the age."
Sensation novels catered to a mass reading audience, and they were hugely successful. One of the most famous progenitors of the genre, Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret, sold out eight editions between October and December 1862.
The Harvest of Sin
Marie Conner wrote a number of sensational novels as well as detective stories. The Harvest of Sin, a novel about an actress, ends in murder.
Trapped by Avarice
This is the author’s only book. The avaricious and evil Raynal comes to a just end when his dead body is found locked in the safe from which he was stealing documents. The safe door had swung shut and no one could hear his cries for help.
The Woman Who Didn’t
The author’s first novel, The Woman Who Didn’t charts an unconsummated love affair on a boat between an Indian officer and an unhappily married woman. Aubrey Beardsley designed the book’s cover.