Reinventing Marie Corelli for the Twenty-First Century

Book excerpt: Novelist Marie Corelli was extremely popular at the turn of the century, so much so that J. M. Stuart-Young complained about the ‘Corelli Cult’. Corelli broke all sales records during the 30 years of her publishing. Her books have enjoyed a resurgence of interest over the past two decades for various reasons but ostensibly due to their challenge to gender constrictions. Corelli’s perception of gender and her gender demeanor were complicated and mercurial. Speculation that she was transgendered, a deduction drawn from her writing and from her having lived in an intimate relationship with Bertha Vyver for 64 years, makes her a person of interest today. Additionally, her 30 novels, short stories and essays are all in print and they reflect a myriad of themes and experiences as relevant today, if not more so, than during the late Victorian period. So far, other than a special issue of ‘Women’s Writing’ in 2006, no collection of essays on Corelli has been published. ‘Reinventing Marie Corelli for the Twenty-First Century’ is the first to remedy that, prompted by her current popularity, a desire to introduce her to a new generation and to instigate critical inquiry that will offer an appreciation for her themes, style and historical place in the literary canon.