Susan Ferrier
Susan Ferrier was a Scottish novelist born in Edinburgh in 1772, the youngest of ten children in a middle-class family. Following the loss of her mother and three brothers, she took charge of her father's household. Ferrier became acquainted with notable figures in literature and society, including the Duke of Argyll's granddaughter, Charlotte Clavering, which led her to pursue writing. Her debut novel, *Marriage* (1818), critiques Edinburgh's high society and explores the dynamics between Scottish and English cultures through the story of a young woman who elopes with a Scottish lord. Despite her success, Ferrier faced familial opposition to her writing, compelling her to write secretly. Her second novel, *The Inheritance* (1824), further showcased her literary talent and was well-received. Ferrier's work is noted for its realistic dialogue, satirical tone, and intricate characters, aligning her with contemporaries like Jane Austen. While she enjoyed popularity in her time, her works have not endured as strongly in modern literary discourse due to their didactic elements.
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Susan Ferrier
- Born: September 17, 1782
- Birthplace: Edinburgh, Scotland
- Died: November 5, 1854
- Place of death: Edinburgh, Scotland
Biography
Susan Ferrier was born the youngest of ten children to Helen Coutts Ferrier and middle-class businessman James Ferrier in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1772. As a young adult, she lost her mother and her three brothers who were serving in the army. In time, she took on the responsibility of her father’s household. She earned the admiration and friendship of the politically prominent Duke of Argyll’s granddaughter, Charlotte Clavering, and her circle of well-known writers, such as Sir Walter Scott and Henry Mackenzie, who proved influential in her decision to become a writer.
Her first novel, Marriage (1818), satirizes many of Edinburgh high society. Published anonymously, it explores the intersection of Scottish and English society and was inspired by correspondence with Clavering. Set in England and Scotland, the English Lord Courtland attempts to marry his daughter Juliana to a rich old man whom she considers despicable. She elopes with the impoverished young Scottish Lord Douglas to Glernfern Castle in the Scottish Highlands, where she meets her very strange new family.
Despite her first novel’s success, Ferrier’s father did not want his daughter to write but she continued to write secretly. The Inheritance (1824) demonstrated Ferrier’s ability as a novelist and was critically well accepted. In this book, Gertrude St. Clair, a young Scottish girl raised in France, returns after her disinherited father’s death with her mother to his home in Scotland and to his wealthy but unwelcoming family.
A friend of Sir Walter Scott, Ferrier described Scottish manners in a style very much akin to the British writer Jane Austen and the Irish writer Maria Edgeworth. Of particular note is her affinity for regional Scottish subjects, which were just beginning to become popular thanks to Scott’s Waverley novels. Ferrier remains recognized for her realistic use of dialogue, comic voice and complex satirical characters. She was enormously popular in her era but has not withheld the test of literary time due to the didactic nature of her works.