Eliza Parsons

Eliza Parsons (1739–1811) was an English novelist best known for her Gothic fiction published in the late eighteenth century. After enduring severe financial and family difficulties, she turned to writing as a means of support and developed a prolific literary career. Her best-known novels include The Castle of Wolfenbach and The Mysterious Warning, both among the famous "horrid novels" mentioned by Jane Austen in Northanger Abbey. Characterized by mystery, family secrets, persecution, and heroines confronted with dangerous circumstances, her work holds a significant place in the origins and development of English Gothic fiction.