De La Ramee, Louise

de la ra-me', Louise (1840-), an English novelist of French extraction. She is known commonly by her pen name of Ouida (oo-e'da). She adopted this name when she began writing for periodicals, taking it from the pronunciation of her own name by a baby sister. Her novels include Held in Bondage, Under Two Flags, Two Little Wooden Shoes, The Waters of Edera, Street Dust, and Strathmore. Ouida's novels contain an excess of sentiment. They are dramatic, however, and not without literary qualities. A Dog of Flanders and The Nuremberg Stove are short stories of child life which are classic.