Elizabeth von Arnim

‘Elizabeth von Arnim is remembered now as the author of Elizabeth and Her German Garden, and for being Katherine Mansfield’s cousin. But there is much more to this witty, talented, intelligent writer who produced more than 20 books in a career which spanned some 40 years. Isobel Maddison’s detailed and engaging study draws upon a wealth of original sources and leads us back to the richness of von Arnim’s writing. Elizabeth von Arnim was well respected by other writers, including Bertrand Russell, H.G. Wells, Ethel Smyth, Bernard Shaw, E.M. Forster and Vernon Lee. It is a pleasure to see von Arnim finally given the attention she deserves.’ Trudi Tate, Clare Hall, University of Cambridge, UK ‘This study of Elizabeth von Arnim’s writing is rich in its treatment of her intermodern cultural contexts. Maddison liberates von Arnim from value judgments about popular vs modernist writing by examining the distinct ways she took up concerns shared with notable modernists, including her younger cousin, Katherine Mansfield, and Virginia Woolf. This study will convince many to rediscover and enjoy her novels.’ Bonnie Kime Scott, San Diego State University, USA ‘The book provides a useful biographical preface and a particularly helpful appendix, compiled by Gayle M. Richardson, lists the contents of von Arnim’s archive at The Huntington Library. Maddison concludes with the hope that her study will inspire more work on von Arnim.’ Edwardian Culture ‘For the von Arnim scholar this book will be essential reading, as nearly one third of it consists of the Finding Aid to von Arnim’s papers (the Countess Russell Papers) at the Huntington Library, California plus a vast bibliography and an excellent index. That resource alone is a seriously useful slice of literary correspondence from the early twentieth century, including von Arnim’s diaries, manuscripts and letters. For the ordinary reader, quite happy with a von Arnim on holiday or on a family-free afternoon, Beyond the German Garden is a very absorbing read…’ Vulpes Libris ‘…enough material to form an excellent understanding of von Arnim’s life and work. It is to be hoped that [it] will create new interest in this formidable woman and resurrect and appreciation of her unjustly neglected novels.’ Virginia Woolf Bulletin ‘… this monograph represents a major step forward in research on Elizabeth von Arnim …’ Rocky Mountain Review ‘Maddison’s monograph is the first book-length academic critical study of von Arnim … shed[s] new light on why von Arnim has been neglected and give[s] highly persuasive arguments for her re-assessment.’ SHARP News

Isobel Maddison is Fellow, College Lecturer and Director of Studies in English at Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge, where she works on female modernism and the connections between popular and modernist literature.