The Queen of Sensation Novels Was A Sensation Herself

As I venture into the world of Aurora Floyd via Mary Elizabeth Braddon, I'm struck with feelings of wonder and pleasure.  As seductive and secretive as the main character, Aurora, is, I find myself curiously drawn to the author, Ms. Braddon herself.  When an author, and a women nonetheless, can publish such a number of lucrative novels (approx. 90) in the 19th (and into the 20th) century, I'm left considering how and where she achieved such inspirations from.  Could it be possible that she drew from personal experiences?  With that thought circulating in my mind, I decided to see if the "queen of sensation novels" had any skeletons in her own closet.

It's come to my realization that Braddon was a radical all of her life.  Ah, ha!  The queen of sensation was actually a sensation herself---maybe.  She grew up in a house where her father was unfaithful to her mother and also financially irresponsible.  The two separated and Braddon received homeschooling from her mother in London where she spent the rest of her childhood.

 The real scandal happened when she was 25 years old, after meeting John Maxwell, a magazine publisher.  The two were instantly attracted to each other, despite Maxwell already being married and having 6 children.  While his wife lived in an asylum due to mental instability, Braddon set up home with her publisher and became a stepmother to his six children.  (Side note: I'm feeling a bit of awkwardness toward this situation, although I feel like this is definitely something that would happen now in the 21st).  The two would eventually become married, but it was not until 1874 when Maxwell's wife died.  (Wow, okay, so now that she passed away it's okay to get married even though Maxwell and Braddon had been living together for 14 years, had 6 children together of their own, and Braddon also step-mothered 6 children; that's 12 kids total...that'd drive me into an asylum).

Braddon eventually become editor to Maxwell's magazine, Belgravia, the vehicle for most of her novels in the next 10 years.  Many of her novels came to be published in newspapers and magazines, despite her scandalous past.

Coming across this new-found information, I'm certainly inclined to interpret and analyze Aurora Floyd with an entirely different approach.  No wonder Mary Elizabeth Braddon was capable of creating such intense and seductive novels of mystery, passion, and pleasure-- it was because that was her life.