author
Mary Cowden Clarke
1809–1898
Best known for creating one of the earliest full concordances to Shakespeare, this lively Victorian writer also turned her love of literature into essays, stories, and character studies. Her work helped open Shakespeare to a wider general audience, especially readers who wanted a practical way into the plays.
1 Audiobook
Little Paulina: Christmas in Russia
by Mary Cowden Clarke
About the author
Mary Cowden Clarke was an English author and Shakespeare scholar, born Mary Victoria Novello in London on June 22, 1809, and died on January 12, 1898. She is most closely associated with The Complete Concordance to Shakespeare, a landmark reference work that made it much easier for readers to trace words and passages across the plays.
She grew up in a literary and musical family and later married writer and critic Charles Cowden Clarke. The two shared a long intellectual partnership, and her writing ranged beyond reference works into essays, fiction, reminiscences, and studies of Shakespearean characters.
What makes her especially memorable is the way she combined serious scholarship with an inviting style. Rather than writing only for specialists, she helped bring Shakespeare to ordinary readers, making her an important bridge between Victorian literary culture and the wider reading public.