Mary Cholmondeley (1859–1925) was an English novelist known for her satirical and socially critical fiction, particularly Red Pottage (1899,) which challenged religious hypocrisy and societal constraints.
Born in Hodnet, Shropshire, she was the third of eight children in a clerical family. Asthma limited her formal education, but she developed a passion for writing. Her early works include The Danvers Jewels (1887,) a detective novel, and Sir Charles Danvers (1889,) a romance.
Her bestseller Red Pottage (1899) satirized Victorian morality and gender roles and was later adapted into a silent film (1918.) Other notable works include Diana Tempest (1893,) Prisoners (1906,) and The Romance of His Life, and Other Romances (1921,) her final collection.
Cholmondeley’s writing explored women’s independence, social expectations, and resilience, making her a key figure in the New Woman literary movement.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Mary Cholmondeley
Every year I live I am more convinced that the waste of life lies in the love we have not given, the powers we have not used, the selfish prudence that will risk nothing, and which shirking pain, misses happiness as well. No one ever yet was the poorer in the long run for having once in a lifetime “let out all the length of all the reins.”
—Mary Cholmondeley
Topics: Living, Being True to Yourself, Love, Possibilities, Potential
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