Ann Ward Radcliffe

Ann Ward Radcliffe was an English novelist who pioneered Gothic fiction. Her technique of explaining seemingly supernatural themes in her writings is recognized with elevating Gothic fiction in the 1790s. Radcliffe was the most popular writer of her time and almost universally admired; contemporary critics dubbed her the great enchantress and the Shakespeare of romance authors, and her reputation lasted into the nineteenth century. The release of three biographies rekindled interest in Radcliffe and her work in the early twenty-first century. Ann Radcliffe was an English novelist who pioneered Gothic fiction. Her technique of explaining seemingly supernatural themes in her writings is recognized with elevating Gothic fiction in the 1790s. Radcliffe was the most popular writer of her time and almost universally admired; contemporary critics dubbed her the great enchantress and the Shakespeare of romance authors, and her reputation lasted into the nineteenth century. The release of three biographies rekindled interest in Radcliffe and her work in the early twenty-first century. Radcliffe was born Ann Ward in Holborn, London, on July 9, 1764. She was the only child of William Ward (1737-1798) and Ann Oates (1726-1800), and her mother was 36 when she gave birth.