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The publication of Harriet Martineau's Illustrations of Political Economy found public success. So much success that, "by 1834, the monthly sales . . . had reached 10,000, several times that of many Dicken's novels, which at 2,000 or 2,000 per month were considered highly successful"

Harriet Martineau propounds political economic theories in Illustrations on Political Economy. She is seen as a frontrunner who merges fiction and economy in a time period when "fiction claimed authority over emotional knowledge, while economics claimed authority over empirical knowledge."[24] Moreover, Martineau's text sets the stage for women to enter into economics. For example, Dalley Lana explains that "by bringing the topic of domestic economy to bear on political economy, Martineau places women more centrally within economic theory and practice. In this context, women--as readers of the Illustrations and as characters with the tales--are not only rendered a part of larger-scale economics but also (because of their participation) encourage to learn the principles of political economy."[25]

In Harriet Martineau's Autobiography, she reflects on her success as a writer and her father's business failure, which she describes as "one of the best things that ever happened," since, she can "truly live, instead of vegetate." [cite needed] Her reflection emphasizes her experience with financial responsibility with her writing career while she writes "[her] fusion of literary and economic narratives." [Dala citation]