Jane Porter was a celebrated historical novelist who published her first works of fiction prior to those of the genre’s supposed originator, Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832). Late in her life, Porter argued that she (and not Scott) was the innovator of a “new species” of writing that combined history and the novel (Looser 2009). Her claim was once met with skepticism, but critics today are exploring it with greater sympathy (McLean 2008, Price 2006). In her bestselling fiction,
Thaddeus of Warsaw(1803) and
The Scottish Chiefs(1810), Porter coupled factual information about political and martial events with the tools of romance, including fictional warriors, perfect sentimental heroes, villainous seductresses, and admirable, plucky young women. Her most successful novels achieved the…
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Citation: Looser, Devoney. "Jane Porter". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 June 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3607, accessed 24 November 2024.]
