Scenes from the Life of a Spinster
is a domestic realist novel by Charlotte Mary Yonge, first published by John W. Parker in 1860, and arguably marking a high point in Yonge’s work in this genre. By the time Yonge published the novel, she was already a household name. Made famous by her 1853 best-seller
The Heir of Redclyffe, Yonge had established herself as a major writer of domestic realist fiction – then at the height of its popularity – with a string of well-received novels, including
Heartsease(1854),
The Daisy Chain(1856) and
Dynevor Terrace(1857). These are all set in upper-middle-class English families, following large casts of characters over a long period of time, and characterised by slow-burning plots, convincing dialogue, and vivid,…
3048 words
Citation: Walker Gore, Clare. "Hopes and Fears". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 April 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4685, accessed 21 November 2024.]