Charlotte Mary Matheson
| Charlotte Mary Matheson | |
|---|---|
Charlotte in a 1916 publicity photo
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| Born | 1888 or 1889 England |
| Died | April 8, 1937 (aged 48) Cornwall, England |
| Resting place | St. Columb Minor Church, Cornwall, England |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Notable work | The Generation Between (1915), Children of the Desolate (1916), Morwenna of the Green Gown (1923), Nut in the Husk (1926), The Feather (1927) |
| Spouse(s) | Stanley Threlkeld |
| Children | Stephen, Felicity |
| Parent(s) | Frank and Charlotte Elizabeth (nee Wenmoth) Matheson |
Charlotte Mary Matheson (died 8 April 1937 in Cornwall, England) was an English novelist. She wrote The Generation Between (1915),Children of the Desolate (1916),Morwenna of the Green Gown (1923),Nut in the Husk (1926), and The Feather (1927).
Charlotte was the daughter of Frank and Charlotte Elizabeth (née Wenmoth) Matheson. Her exact date of birth is unknown; however her gravestone states she died at the age of 48 which puts her date of birth in either 1889 or 1888. This corresponds with her appearance in the 1891 England, Wales & Scotland Census where she is listed as 3 years of age. However, according to the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright entries she was born in 1892.
Tatler: "One of the most successful novels of the season. The season so far has not given us a more readable one, or one more intensely interesting from beginning to end." Quoted in the front pages of Children of the Desolate published 1916, T. Fisher Unwin, Ltd.
In The Generation Between the heroine Thomasine searches for freedom and happiness in early 20th century England. She is 17 when the novel begins. The novel explores discrimination and prejudice against women in England at that time, and feminist ideas. For a time Thomasine stays at the fictional community of Dyleshart, a new all women town run entirely by women, with accompanying gardens and farmlands. The title refers to the generation of women between the dying "old way" and a predicted future of much more equality and freedom for women. Thomasine says: "... We are betwixt and between. The old way is over, the new way is come. We're bearing the brunt of it. We're the generation between." (p. 70)
It has been available in re-publication since 2009 (hard cover and paperback editions) and is also available for free online download.
Some reviews of Children of the Desolate when it came out in August 1916:
The Scotsman: It should be difficult to miss the note of distinction in this story which both in conception and in execution shows skilful and conscientious workmanship. Parts of the narrative may perhaps appear overstrained, but they are thoroughly consistent with the highly emotional type of character which the author has chosen to study, while the story is free from the moral unpleasantness often associated with this type of heroine. Miss Matheson follows the career of her study from infancy to maturity; shows her an impulsive, passionate, and imaginative child; traces the development of her artistic gifts - which border on genius - side by side with the growth of an idealistic nature, marred by vanity and petulance; and, finally, leaves her as a great artist, with a happy family of children whom she has adopted in obedience to the Madonna spirit within her. The character of the heroine is alternately attractive and repellant; but at all points she is real and interesting, and her life story, which is skilfully designed in harmony with her conflicting impulses and instincts, will prove attractive enough for readers who are less interested in character than in external changes of fortune.
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