George Canning Is My Son: A new biography of the remarkable Mary Ann Hunn

Mary Ann Hunn, George Canning's mother, is a strong, passionate, and intelligent woman who lived a difficult life. This new work uncovers her hidden history, revealing a story of hardship, humiliation, and resilience. Her marriage to a penniless poet, her fifteen years in the theatre, and her eleven pregnancies all play into the texture of their long and intense relationship. Mary Ann read and admired Mary Wollstonecraft's Vindication of the Rights of Woman and her own story provides a vivid illustration of those ideas.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 560 pages
\n Publication date: 18 March 2021
\n Publisher: Unbound
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Mary Ann Hunn, the disreputable actress mother of the politician George Canning, is often overlooked in the historical narrative. Despite the numerous books written about George, his life remains perennially controversial, with many either ignoring his mother or dismissing her with a few patronizing words. However, in this groundbreaking new work, author Emily Soane delves into the hidden history of a strong, passionate, and intelligent woman. Through her own 65,000-word memoir and the remarkable 47-year correspondence between mother and son, supplemented by the scattered testimony of contemporaries, Soane unveils the untold story of Mary Ann.

This is a tale of hardship, humiliation, and resilience; of a mother and son forced to pursue vastly different paths over half a century, never fully reconciled, yet never losing their natural affection for each other. Mary Ann's marriage to a penniless poet, her fifteen years in the theatre, her eleven pregnancies—all contribute to the intricate texture of their long and intense relationship. Mary Ann's reading and admiration of Mary Wollstonecraft's Vindication of the Rights of Woman upon its publication provide a vivid illustration of those ideas. Her father, husbands, lovers, and father-in-law—all the men in her life—were weak, selfish, and inadequate, yet society placed her in their power, leaving her helpless except for her own strength of character.

However, George Canning was the exception to this rule. While she felt he did not love her enough, in the end, she acknowledged that in her long and eventful life, the balance of good predominated. "For George Canning is my Son," she declared.

This is the story of a woman's struggle to survive in the man's world of late Georgian England. It makes a fascinating contribution to the history of the provincial theatre and our understanding of attitudes towards the stage. Moreover, it sheds important new light on the background and character of George Canning, one of the most influential politicians of his time. Through meticulous research and a fresh perspective, Soane has crafted a compelling narrative that restores Mary Ann Hunn to her rightful place in history.

\n Weight: 480g\n
Dimension: 129 x 200 x 48 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781783529230\n \n