Margaret Oliphant - The Perpetual Curate: "Good works may only be beautiful sins, if they are not done in a true spirit"

The life of Margaret Oliphant Wilson is marked by both literary success and profound personal tragedy. After publishing her first novel in 1849, she married her cousin and had six children, three of whom died in infancy. Following her husband's death from tuberculosis, she became the sole provider for her family through writing. Despite her prolific output and growing reputation, she faced continual loss, including the deaths of her remaining children, which deeply affected her well-being. She passed away in 1897, leaving behind a significant literary legacy.