Author Details
Author Details
Hodgson Burnett, Frances
"Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett was born on November 24, 1849 at Manchester, England. Her father died in 1865 and the family moved to America, settling in Newmarket, Tennessee. There the family that consisted of mother, two sons, and three daughters sought to make a living on a little farm. There were many trying times, but they all worked together bravely.
Frances felt that she had the ability to write and felt that she could earn money from it. She began with short stories which were published in Peterson?s Magazine and Godey?s Lady?s Book, but she didn?t receive marked success or recognition until she was published the dialect story ?Surly Tim?s Trouble? in Scribner?s Magazine in 1872. Her girlhood days in Manchester had made her familiar with the Lancashire dialect and she turned to that knowledge to write the story. This launched her career and afterwards she was sought after by publishers.
In 1875 Frances married Dr. Swan M. Burnett and traveled extensively throughout Europe. When they finished traveling they took up residence in Washington.
Her reputation as a novelist was made with her story of Lancashire life in ?That Lass O?Lowrie?s? that was published first in Scribner?s Magazine and afterwards in book form. The book was a great success. A number of other works followed including ?Through One Administration?, ?Louisiana?, ?A Fair Barbarian?, and ?Editha?s Burglar?, with the first being the most notable. She also wrote ?The Secret Garden? and ?Little Princess?
While she has written several stories and novels, probably her most recognized work is ?Little Lord Fauntleroy?, which she published in 1886. This, like many of her stories, was dramatized during her lifetime, which added to her fame. In fact it continues to be dramatized as videos and movies. The dramatization of novels without compensation to the author had long been a problem to English writers. Reade and Dickens among others had attempted to stop it, but in vain. Frances undertook to defend herself against the unauthorized use of ?Little Lord Fauntleroy? and the court, for the first time, gave to authors the control of the dramatic right in their stories. When the victory was won, the authors of England showed their gratitude by presenting Mrs. Burnett with a costly diamond bracelet. "
