Catharine Selden Explained

Catharine Selden (dates not known) was an Irish writer of Gothic novels in the early 19th century.

Little known today, she was "prolific" and her novels "best-selling" for her publisher, Minerva Press.^[1] She published seven novels. The first, The English Nun (1797),^[2] was written in imitation of Diderot's La Religieuse (1792).^[3]

Bibliography

• The English Nun: a Novel (London, 1797)
• The Count de Santerre (1797)
• Lindor; or Early Engagements (1798)^[4]
• Serena (1800)
• The Sailors (1800)^[4]
• German Letters (Translator, Cork, 1804)
• Villa Nova: or, The Ruined Castle (1805)
• Villasantelle, or The Curious Impertinent (1817)^[5]

Notes and References

1. Neiman, Elizabeth, and Christina Morin. "Introduction: Re-evaluating the Minerva Press." Romantic Textualties: Literature and Print Culture, 1780-1840. Issue 23: Special Issue: The Minerva Press and the Literary Marketplace (Summer 2020): 12.
2. Seldon, Catharine. The English nun, or, The sorrows of Edward and Louisa: a novel. New York: J. Swaine, 1806. Full text available at the Internet Archive.
3. Full text of The Nun (London: G.G. & J. Robinson, 1797) available at the Internet Archive.
4. Web site: Selden, Catharine . womensprinthistoryproject.com . The Women's Print History Project . 27 February 2022 . wphp.
5. Full text available from Chawton House as a PDF.