Before Jane Austen or the Bronte sisters, or the historical novels of Walter Scott, there were the Porter Sisters. Jane and Anna Maria Porter were born in the waning days of the reign of King George III and English control of the American colonies. They were two girls of the five children born in Durham in northeast England. Their father, a surgeon, died about a year after Maria was born. From then on, the family would move fairly frequently, in search of stability and livelihoods.
At the time, in the absence of a father, society expected the male siblings to take care of the family at home, until the sisters married and became the ward of their husbands. The three Porter brothers chose various paths in an attempt to support their family. However, the sisters were not going to wait around for that to happen. Anna Maria published her first book at age 14. Jane was submitting poems to literary journals under assumed names. Anna Maria was a busy and prolific writer. Jane worked at a slower pace but her works were incredibly popular.
Robert Ker Porter shared similar artistic and creative sensibilities as his sisters. He was a talented painter from an early age, a talent that was encouraged. He was noted for his early success as a painter of panoramic battle scenes. These massive realistic scenes were more than 100 feet long and surrounded the viewer’s peripheral vision. It was an immersive experience. Unfortunately, he did not find judicial uses for his newfound wealth and fame. He did what most twenty-somethings did – had too much fun. His life would take numerous left turns, from running to Russia to escape debtors prison, wooing a princess, befriending Tsar Alexander I, and becoming British consul to Venezuela.
Jane’s first novel Thaddeus of Warsaw (1803) was a runaway bestseller for the era. It was an historical epic romance set in Poland and Britain, based on first-hand accounts from soldiers and citizens. Thaddeus was written to be a pure hero, displaying perfect bravery and honor. The novel also eschewed the values of constitutional democracy versus the imperialism of Napoleon. Despite the multiple printings and astronomical sales, Jane Porter earned little of the money the book brought in. The copyright was largely owned by the publishers.
Jane’s book The Scottish Chiefs (1810) was a historical romance featuring William Wallace. It was again wildly popular, and often cited as the book that inspired Walter Scott to write the Waverley novels. It was also subversive to some.
Napoleon became so concerned about the possible influence of The Scottish Chiefs on his ability to retain power, presumably because of its celebration of those who resist invasion, that he commanded the French edition to be destroyed. Maria, as ever, was Jane’s greatest admirer. She compared the pure passages of beauty in her sister’s novel to the writings of Shakespeare. Across the nineteenth century, The Scottish Chiefs never fell out of print. ~ Loc. 4967
This is a situation the sisters would repeatedly encounter during their literary careers. Writing themselves into illness, delivering manuscripts and editorial work constantly, then being paid a pittance for their work. Despite the setbacks, they seemed to always be willing to take pen to paper and try again. If they could just find the sweet spot of popular novel with fair publishing deal, they could live comfortably and without concern for eviction.
As it was, the sisters often visited the homes of distant relatives and family friends. There was a practicality to this — cost. One sister stayed home to take care of their mother, while the other became a household expense for someone else. In exchange for hosting one of the sisters, the hosts often expected some sort of consideration — help watching a child or assistance as a private secretary. In one case, Jane went to stay with the insufferable Reverend Stockdale with a promise to help him arrange his papers and compose his memoirs. One can only think of Eliza Bennet trying to refuse the attentions of Mr. Collins.
Devoney Looser traces the fascinating, if difficult, lives of the influential authors that have been largely overlooked, not least because of the long shadow of Sir Walter Scott. The women forged a new genre and paved the way for the likes of Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, and many more. It’s long past time these writers received their due and this biography goes a long way to dusting their reputations off.
My thanks to Bloomsbury for the e-galley, read via NetGalley.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing (October 25, 2022)
Language: English
Hardcover: 576 pages
ISBN-10: 163557529X