The Visits of Elizabeth

Elinor Glyn (1864-1943), born Elinor Sutherland, was an English novelist and scriptwriter who pioneered massmarket women's erotic fiction. She coined the use of It as a euphemism for sexuality, or sex appeal. Elinor was schooled by her grandmother (a minor French aristocrat) which gave her an entre into aristocratic circles on her return to Europe and led her to be considered an authority on style and breeding when she worked in Hollywood where she promoted the concept of the vamp. She was the celebrated author of early 20th century bestsellers as It, Three Weeks, Beyond the Rocks, and other novels which were then considered quite racy, as tame as they might seem now. She was a scriptwriter for the silent movie industry and had a brief career as one of the earliest female directors. Her other works include: The Visits of Elizabeth (1900), The Reflections of Ambrosine (1902), The Damsel and the Sage (1903), Elizabeth Visits America (1909), Halcyone (1912), The Point of View (1913), The Man and the Moment (1914), and Man and Maid (1922).