Frances Brooke
An 18th-century literary pioneer whose novel written in Quebec became the first known English novel composed in Canada.
1724–1789 (age 65)·English author of first Canadian novel·Birthday: January 12
Biography
Frances Brooke was a woman of letters who carved out a career with her pen in an era that offered women few professional paths. In London, she was a translator, playwright, and novelist, and the editor of a periodical. But her most lasting claim emerged from a transatlantic move. Following her husband, a military chaplain, to the British garrison in Quebec, she spent the 1760s in the new colony. There, she wrote 'The History of Emily Montague', publishing it in London in 1769. The novel, an epistolary romance set against the stark beauty and social complexities of Quebec, is now recognized as the first English novel written in what would become Canada. Brooke's work captured the frontier experience for a metropolitan audience, blending sentiment with sharp observations on society, climate, and the lives of both colonists and Indigenous peoples. She returned to England, but her Canadian sojourn left an indelible mark on literary history.
#1 When Frances Was Born
The biggest hits of 1724
Frances's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1724Born
1729Started school
1737Became a teenager
1740Could drive
1742Could vote
1745Turned 21
1754Turned 30
1764Turned 40
1774Turned 50
1784Turned 60
1789Died at 65
Key Achievements
- Wrote 'The History of Emily Montague' (1769), considered the first novel written in English in Canada.
- Was a successful playwright in London; her comedy 'The Siege of Sinope' was performed at Covent Garden.
- Edited and wrote for the periodical 'The Old Maid' under the pseudonym 'Mary Singleton, Spinster'.
- Published one of the earliest English novels to be set in North America, providing a colonial perspective.
Did You Know?
She translated several works from French, including novels and a history of Gustav I of Sweden.
Her husband, John Brooke, was a chaplain at the Quebec garrison, which inspired her Canadian novel.
She is buried in the churchyard of St. Nicholas Church in Guildford, Surrey.
The novel 'Emily Montague' includes detailed descriptions of the Canadian winter and social life in Quebec.
“This new world is a vast canvas, and I shall paint it with my observations.”
