The Orphan of the Rhine The Orphan of the Rhine The Orphan of the Rhine was a gothic novel by Eleanor Sleath, listed as one of the seven "horrid novels" by Jane Austen in her novel "Northanger Abbey". Subtitled "A Romance" it was published in four volumes the sensationalist Minerva Press in 1798. It was part of a brief but popular vogue of German tales, a fashion criticized in the "Critical Review" of June 1807 "So great is the rage for German tales, and German novels, that a cargo is no sooner imported than the booksellers' shops are filled with a multitude of translators, who
Reception history of Jane Austen lifestyle, did not want to follow this suggestion, but her friends convinced her otherwise: in short order, "Emma" was dedicated to him. Austen turned down the librarian's further hint to write a historical romance in honour of the prince's daughter's marriage. In the last year of her life, Austen revised "Northanger Abbey" (1817), wrote "Persuasion" (1817), and began another novel, eventually titled "Sanditon", which was left unfinished at her death. Austen did not have time to see "Northanger Abbey" or "Persuasion" through the press, but her family published them as one volume after her death and her brother Henry included