A Waif's Progress by Rhoda Broughton is a poignant Victorian novel that delves into the social issues surrounding orphans and poverty. The story follows the journey of a young waif as she navigates the challenges of Victorian society, highlighting the struggles of personal and moral development against a backdrop of class mobility and social class constraints. Through the protagonist's emotional journey, Broughton explores themes of redemption and character growth, offering a deep psychological study of resilience and survival. The novel portrays the harsh realities of family dynamics and the impact of social reform on individuals in distress. Broughton's narrative presents a feminine perspective on these social issues, shedding light on the resilience required to overcome adversity. A Waif's Progress serves as both a compelling character study and a critique of the social conditions of the time, providing readers with a rich historical context and a dramatic exploration of human endurance.
Rhoda Broughton was a Welsh novelist and short-story writer. Her early works were known for their sensationalism, thus critics often overlooked her later, stronger work, despite her being dubbed the "queen of the circulating libraries." Her novel Dear Faustina (1897) is known for its homoeroticism. Her novel Lavinia (1902) portrays a supposedly "unmanly" young man who wishes he had been born a woman. Broughton was a granddaughter of the 8th baronet, hence she descended from the Broughton family. She was Sheridan le Fanu's niece, and he helped her begin her literary career. Rhoda Broughton was born on November 29, 1840, in Denbigh, North Wales, the daughter of the Rev. Delves Broughton, youngest son of the Rev. Sir Henry Delves-Broughton, 8th baronet, and Jane Bennett, daughter of George Bennett, a prominent Irish barrister. Her aunt, Susanna Bennett, married the renowned fiction writer Sheridan le Fanu. Rhoda Broughton acquired an interest in reading as a young girl, particularly poetry. She was influenced by William Shakespeare, as seen by the frequent citations and allusions in her works. Presumably, after reading Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie's The Story of Elizabeth, she decided to test her own talent. Broughton, in turn, introduced Mary Cholmondeley to her publishers in 1887.
