Victorians themselves; nevertheless, by presenting the parent as God's vicar in the family, she had planted and fostered the idea". The prevalence of death in Sherwood's early stories and vivid portrayal of its worldly and otherworldly consequences have often caused twentieth-century critics to deride her works. However, Sherwood's stories influenced the styles for other writers such as Charles Kingsley and Charlotte Mary Yonge. It has been surmised that John Ruskin used Henry Milner as the basis for his imaginative autobiography Praeterita (1885–1889). Sherwood's narrative experiments with various genres allowed other writers to pursue innovative forms of children's fiction. Her imaginative use of tracts domesticated reformist literature and encouraged radicals such as Harriet Martineau to employ the same genre, although for opposite purposes. Due to the popularity of Sherwood's works and their impact on later writers, Janis Dawson writes: "Though her books are no longer widely read, she is regarded as one of the most significant authors of children's literature of the nineteenth century". Selected works The History of Little Henry and his Bearer, 1814 The History of Susan Gray, 1815, revised Stories Explanatory of the Church Catechism, 1817 The History of the Fairchild Family, 1818 The Indian Pilgrim, 1818 An Introduction to Geography, 1818 The Governess, or The Little Female Academy, 1820 The History of George Desmond, 1821 The Infant's Progress, 1821, 2nd edition The History of Henry Milner, 1822 The History of Little Lucy and her Dhaye, 1823 The Lady of the Manor, 1823–1829 Soffrona and her Cat Muff, 1828 Scripture Prints, with Explanations in the Form of Familiar Dialogues, 1831 The Monk of Cimies, 1834 Caroline Mordaunt, or The Governess, 1835 Shanty the Blacksmith, 1835 The Last Days of Boosy, the Bearer of Little Henry 1842 The Youth's Magazine (1822–1848)"This periodical... brought out tales, tracts, and articles by Mrs. Sherwood for over twenty-five years (signed at first M.M., and after 1827, M.M.S.) The earlier tales were rapidly reprinted by Houlston, Darton, Melrose, Knight and Lacey and the R.T.S. [Religious Tract Society], as well as by various American publishers". The Works of Mrs. Sherwood by Harper & Bros. (1834–1857) collected works Footnotes Notes Works cited External links Biographical sketch of Sherwood and links to etexts at Literary Heritage Finding aid at UCLA for their collection of Sherwood's manuscripts and diaries Online full-text resources Works by Mary Martha Sherwood at Toronto Public Library 1775 births 1851 deaths 19th-century English women