JOURNAL ARTICLE

Competing for Celebrity: Sarah Grand, Matilda Betham-Edwards, and Mid-Victorian Memories.

Published In: CUSP: Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century Cultures, 2025, v. 3, n. 1. P. 28 1 of 3
Database: Humanities Source Ultimate 2 of 3
Authored By: Bilston, Sarah 3 of 3

Abstract

This article explores how New Woman Sarah Grand and mid-century novelist of rural life Matilda Betham-Edwards, advanced their respective claims to fame in the 1919 memoir Mid-Victorian Memories. At the ends of long lives, with dwindling reputations, both responded to the demands of celebrity culture by staging scenes of celebrity sociability in minutely described domestic interiors while generating mystery through withheld information. But competition played a vital part, too, as both framed the other as a dimmer star in the literary constellation than herself. The text reminds us afresh of the degree to which competition powers what Sharon Marcus terms the "Drama of Celebrity." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional Information

Source:CUSP: Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century Cultures. 2025/01, Vol. 3, Issue 1, p28
Document Type:Article
Subject Area:Literature and Writing
Publication Date:2025
ISSN:27686361
DOI:10.1353/cusp.2025.a952399
Accession Number:183810612
Copyright Statement:Copyright of CUSP: Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century Cultures is the property of Johns Hopkins University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Looking to go deeper into this topic? Look for more articles on EBSCOhost.