Frances Brooke

Frances Moore Brooke (12 January, 1724 – 23 January 1789) was an English novelist, essayist, playwright and translator.

Brooke was born in, Claypole, Lincolnshire, the daughter of a clergyman. By the late 1740s, she had moved to London, where she embarked on her career as a poet and playwright. As well, under the pseudonym of "Mary Singleton, Spinster," she edited thirty-seven issues of her own weekly periodical, "Old Maid" (1755-1756).

In 1756 she married Rev. Dr. John Brooke, rector at Colney, Norfolk. The following year he left for Canada as a military chaplain while his wife remained in England. In 1763 she wrote her first novel, "The History of Lady Julia Mandeville"

In the same year Brooke sailed to Quebec, Canada to join her husband, who was then chaplain to the British garrison there. In autumn 1768 she returned to London, where she continued her career.

Brooke was well-known in London's literary and theatrical communities. In 1769 she published "The History of Emily Montague." This was the first novel written in Canada. This brief stint in North America has caused some critics to label her "the first novelist in North America." Anyway "The History of Emily Montague" is held as the first Canadian novel. Evidence of Brooke's wisdom and experience of life and its vicissitudes is apparent in her writing. One exemplary observation reflects that "It is a painful consideration, my dear, that the happiness or misery of our lives are generally determined before we are proper judges of either."

She died in Sleaford, England

Planetary Feature Nomenclature (Brooke honoured with a crater on Venus)

In 1985, Frances Moore Brooke was honoured by having a crater named after her on the surface of the planet Venus. The International Astronomical Union and Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (IAU/WGPSN), officially adopted a crater which is now attributed to the English-Canadian Novelist. Crater BROOKE is located at 48.4 degrees North Latitude, and 296.6 degrees West Longitude. The Venusian crater is located Northeast of GUINEVERE Planitia, and has a diameter of approximately 22.9 Kilometers.

elected bibliography

*"The History of Lady Julia Mandeville" - 1763
*"The History of Emily Montague" - 1769
*"The Excursion" - 1777
*"The Siege of Sinopoe" - 1781
*"Rosina: A Comic Opera, in Two Acts" - 1783
*"Marian: A Comic Opera, in Two Acts" - 1788
*"The History of Charles Mandeville" - 1790

External links

*
* Rebecca Garwood, [http://www.chawton.org/biography.php?AuthorID=44 author biography of Frances Brooke (1724-1789) at www.chawton.org]
* [http://www.oldroads.org/womenwriters/brooke.htm Frances Brooke: An overview]