Charlotte Dacre

Born Charlotte King, she published under the names Rosa Matilda and Charlotte Dacre, and is remembered as a British Gothic novelist and poet. She wrote at the turn of the nineteenth century, a period when sensational fiction was hugely popular, and her work stood out for its intensity, melodrama, and fascination with desire, power, and moral danger.

Her best-known novel, Zofloya; or, The Moor (1806), has drawn lasting attention for its violent plot, psychological force, and unusually daring female protagonist. She also wrote poetry and several other novels, including The Libertine and The Passions, building a reputation for fiction that was darker and more provocative than much of the writing expected from women at the time.

Charlotte Dacre died on November 7, 1825. Though she was long less famous than some of her contemporaries, modern readers and scholars have returned to her work for its energy, excess, and its important place in the history of Gothic literature.