When they are introduced to Sir Michael’s new young bride Lucy, Talboys seems startled and shortly afterwards disappears without trace. Robert Audley, the rakish young nephew of Sir Michael Audley, goes to visit his uncle at the grand Audley Court, taking with him his best friend George Talboys. Though she is largely forgotten today, the queen of the Sensation Novel (and a best-selling author of her time) was Mary Elizabeth Braddon, and Lady Audley’s Secret was her magnum opus. The Victorian equivalent of the crime thrillers was the Sensation Novel brooding pot-boilers full of crime, blackmail, murder and bigamy that were frequently targeted specifically at women. It’s widely acknowledged these days that the larger proportion of the readership for crime thrillers is female, but it’s often overlooked that this has long been the case.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |