Mary Julia Young

MJY , who began writing in the 1780s and publishing in the 1790s, turned from poetry to mostly novels before the turn of the century. By this time the pressure to earn money must have been a factor in her output: she recycled poems from one volume to another, and chose novel titles designed to comply with fashions of the moment. She also translated. Though capable of intelligent and interesting work, she was obviously turning out pot-boilers late in her career. She was strongly interested in the world of the theatre, and authored an excellent theatrical biography, but is not known to have written drama. Her life is unusually obscure for one of her time and social status.