About the Book
This book, the first of two volumes anticipating the bicentenary of the birth of William Makepeace Thackeray in 1811, details not only the author's life, but also the cosmopolitan and literary worlds inhabited by his two daughters, Minny and Annie. When Thackeray died in 1863, the two sisters were forced to find their own way forward. Minny would marry Leslie Stephen, later father of Virginia Woolf, and die at only thirty-five; Annie, encouraged in early years by her father, would herself emerge as a successful novelist, though one always living, albeit willingly, within her father's shadow. Drawing continuously on the letters, diaries, journals and notebooks of the Thackerays and their circle, Aplin sheds light on this remarkable man's family, and the effect that his life, death and legacy had on those closest to him. The book will appeal not just to those interested in Thackeray and the Victorians, but also to readers of biography, women's studies and memoirs, and to followers of Viriginia Woolf and Bloomsbury.
Review :
'He has thoroughly grasped the complicated intermarriages of the Ritchies and their friends, and he is strong on allusions to the Bible and to hymns.' Charlotte Mitchell, The Times Literary Supplement, 13th July 2011 'Thackeray has been blessed with exceptional biographers and critics...To this illustrious body of work may now be added John Aplin's five-volume edition of the Thackeray family letters and his two-volume family biography, both of which constitute a major contribution to Thackeray scholarship, packed as they are with fresh material and incisive commentary... John Aplin has done a fine job of showing how that love and wit bound together not only Thackeray's daughters and their families, but a much larger extended family, whose members will only grow with the publication of these marvellous volumes.' Edward Short, Weekly Standard, Vol 17, No. 08, November 2011 'It is good to see this family with its generosity, tolerance, and emotional connections explored so thoroughly.' NOTES AND QUERIES, OXFORD JOURNAL, VOL 58 NO 4, DEC 2011 'In documenting the lives of the Thackeray family, Aplin draws on a rich trove of primary sources, including diaries, letters and journals as well as previously unpublished papers and photographs that belong to the Thackeray family. He puts these materials to good use, painting a compelling portrait of Thackeray as a paterfamilias who juggled the demands of his public and private lives ... The real success of Aplin's work lies in the focus on the author's familial relationships with the three central women in his life: his mother and his two daughters ... Aplin succeeds in bringing his first volume to a graceful conclusion ... the Inheritance of Genius is a fine first volume that provides readers with a valuable reassessment both of Thackeray and the family that his public persona eclipsed.' KRISTI N. EMBRY in readperiodicals.com 'The chief value of this biography for Thackeray scholars lies in its thorough exploration and accessible presentation of a hitherto undocumented research archive.' Richard Salmon, Journal of Historical Biography, Vol. 9, Spring 2011 'Although Aplin does not directly address the issue of gender difference, the biography sheds light on the customary role of the female dependant (either wife or daughter) of the "great man" within nineteenth-century biographical discourse, a role requiring both self-effacement and a surrogate form of self-assertion.' Richard Salmon, Journal of Historical Biography, Vol. 9, Spring 2011. "There can be no doubt that both collections by Aplin will enhance scholar's understanding of Thackeray but their greatest contribution will be to researchers of Anne Thackeray Ritchie's life." Clare Horrocks: Journal of Victorian Culture, Vol. 17 (2), 2012. "John Aplin has succeeded in resituating Thackeray the public author within a domestic, private history of daughters, cousins and generations. [ - ] Aplin writes well, balancing a sense of drama with a judicious use of evidence to make this family history compelling and readable. Judith L. Fisher, Trinity University 14th July 2013 "John Aplin's incredibly detailed two-volume biography of the Thackeray family is another profoundly excellent addition to Thackeray studies." Years Work in English Studies, Vol. 92, No. 1, 2013 'John Aplin has succeeded in resituating Thackeray the public author within a domestic, private history of daughters, cousins and generations. [ - ] Aplin writes well, balancing a sense of drama with a judicious use of evidence to make this family history compelling and readable. Judith L. Fisher, English Studies, Vol. 94, No.5, August 2013
