Clara Vaughan
Cover of 2009 Edition of Clara Vaughan
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| Author | R. D. Blackmore |
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| Country | England |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Sensation novel |
| Publisher | Macmillan & Co. |
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Publication date
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1864 |
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Clara Vaughan is a sensation novel by R. D. Blackmore, who was later to achieve lasting fame for another Romantic novel, Lorna Doone. It was written in 1853 and published anonymously in 1864. It was Blackmore's first novel. The novel was generally well received by the public, though some reviewers at the time believed it to have been written by Mary Elizabeth Braddon and criticised its author for not knowing about the law.
Clara Vaughan, which takes place in the mid-19th century, is the story of the eponymous heroine, an only child whose father is mysteriously murdered when she is a young girl. As a young woman, she sets out to uncover the identity of her father's killer, and for this reason the novel is often classed among the first detective novels in English. In addition to this overarching theme, there are several subplots involving family secrets, romances, and questions of familial inheritance.
The novel was first published in 1864 and was still in print in various editions into the early 20th century.
Blackmore chose to fully revise the novel for a new edition in 1872. Blackmore states in the preface that he removed "many things offensive to maturer taste and judgement".
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