Sister Novelists: The Trailblazing Porter Sisters, Who Paved the Way for Austen and the Brontës

Critic Looser (The Making of Jane Austen) covers in this mostly solid survey the life and work of two “forgotten” literary sisters, Jane Porter (1776–1850) and Anna Maria Porter (1780–1832). Jane Austen’s contemporaries, the two were bestselling authors in their time, publishing 30 books between them. Looser positions them as pioneers of the historical novel (a genre usually said to be created by Sir Walter Scott), shows them freely mixing in London’s artistic and theatrical circles, and describes how later, burdened by their brothers’ debts, Jane, Anna Maria, and their mother lived in increasing poverty. History hasn’t been kind to the sisters, Looser writes: “As the nineteenth century turned to the twentieth, and the fame of Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters grew, Jane and Maria Porter’s names gradually faded out of literary histories.” The author draws on their voluminous correspondence, which she calls perhaps “their greatest masterpiece,” and offers plenty of insights into late-18th- and 19th-century social history. Though she’s a strong writer, Looser can sometimes get caught up in the details, slowing the pace. Even so, fans of the era’s literature will appreciate the light Looser shines on these lesser-known figures. [em]Agent: Stacey Glick; Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Oct.) [/em]